Double or Nothing
by Dr-Lemona
Summary: Shizuru and Haruka play a lot of card games, and they only ever have one rule: Double or Nothing.  Sequel to On the Roof Again. Post-Carnival with appearances of our Kaichou/Wolf couple.
1. Prologue: First Hand

Hello everyone, long time no see.

I have been through an emotional rollercoaster or ten, but I am now back and ready to finish my projects/start new projects. Hopefully you enjoy this offering of mine. I liked Crimson and Clover and On The Roof Again's universe so much that I decided to finish it all up with this project, so I'd recommend reading the two before starting this one.

Please enjoy.

Mai-Hime belongs to Sunrise

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><p><strong>Prologue: First Hand<strong>

A Suzushiro was always proud with the value received from a hard day's work. Their hands were not suited for idle tasks, that much was for certain. But Suzushiro Haruka in particular had an interesting hobby that would have seemed almost laughably blasphemous. Even more baffling was the person she chose to partake in this activity with. Yes, under any other circumstance Fujino Shizuru offered the perfect example of the exact opposite of Haruka, thus making her the target of the Suzushiro scion's constant ire, but for this particular task there was no one else suitable. So every Tuesday evening they met, either in the spartan confines of Haruka's sparsely-furnished apartment or in the impeccable living room of Shizuru's apartment. On this particular evening it was Shizuru's turn to entertain her old rival—and some could say oldest friend—in their weekly activity.

Haruka watched over the rim of the glass she was currently sipping out of as Shizuru's fingers deftly maneuvered their way around the plastic cards that were beginning to show the slightest hint of wear. One by one they clicked against each other as she quickly formed a bridge and tucked them in neatly. The sound comforted Haruka somewhat while at the same time allowing her to steel her nerves. She set the glass down on the table and rested the palm of her hand on her knee. Shizuru set the shuffled deck in front of Haruka and tapped the topmost card with two fingers. Out of habit Haruka carefully picked up half of the deck and set it beside the leftover half. Shizuru nodded and re-stacked the deck before dealing out two cards each.

"Honestly, Haruka-han, the game would be much more impressive if there were more than two of us playing."

Haruka's eyes snapped up, but instead of giving a derisive glance towards Shizuru she instead jerked her thumb behind her. Shizuru followed her gaze and rested her eyes on a head of blue hair that seemingly floated up from the couch in the living room. She sighed as she watched the owner of the head pointedly stare at whatever fascinating bit of television was going on at the moment.

"It's already enough I let your puppy sit in the same room during our game," Haruka said in a dissatisfied grunt. "Besides, it's always just been the two of us playing, does it necessarily have to be a larger affair?"

If her "puppy" had anything to say about Haruka's gruff remark, she wisely chose not to voice it. Natsuki merely changed the channel on the television and absently thumbed through an engineering textbook. She paused briefly to highlight something before moving on.

"Ara, I suppose..."

Shizuru pursed her lips into a straight line, then focused on her hand of cards. Natsuki could spend every day of the week—which she did—trying to convince Shizuru that this bizarre ritual of a card game could continue every week if necessary, but the Fujino heiress still felt a twinge of uneasiness.

_Unhealthy._

_Sick._

_Wrong._

It had been almost two years, now.

No amount of time would erase that night in their eyes.

But Shizuru could look into Haruka's eyes without remorse, and those blue eyes would stare unflinchingly back. What was that supposed to mean? Was Haruka suddenly okay with what she used to think was unnatural? Or was Haruka simply pushing aside that niggling issue in favor of simply ignoring it and moving on? Shizuru played life like a well-placed gamble and was the champion of coming out on top, but Haruka never quite played like the rules ever applied. It seemed as if the only rule she did understand was that hard work would bring results, even if the arena she happed to play in had nothing to do with how much work had to be done.

Shizuru, playing the dealer for the night, placed the top card of the pile face-down to be discarded before dealing out the first three cards face-up on the table. A ten of diamonds, four of spades, and nine of diamonds greeted them. They studied the flop for a minute before consulting their own hands. They never played with chips or any sort of monetary gamble which Shizuru thought defeated the purpose of playing any kind of casino card game in the first place. After all it was just as much a battle to determine who can make the best mathematical and psychological decisions to come out on top as it was to win the most amount of money by the end of the night. To not have some sort of collateral to worry about made the game too boring for her to play. But habit dictated that she continue, and she dutifully placed another card to be discarded before flipping over the next—a four of clubs. Haruka waved a hand to continue and Shizuru complied with the final discard. The River was placed on the table and provided the two with the passive face of the king of diamonds.

Haruka sighed before flipping over her cards. A four of diamonds and a five of clubs sat in front of her.

"Well, that was disappointing. And you?"

Shizuru stared at her cards. Truth be told she had almost forgotten about them. Smiling inwardly at her rare moment of forgetfulness she turned over her cards and was pleasantly surprised to see a jack of diamonds and queen of diamonds greeting her.

"Ara, it seems luck has favored me this round."

If it were any other event Haruka might have pointed a finger accusingly in Shizuru's direction and declare a rematch on the obvious grounds that the ex-Kaichou was cheating. Instead Haruka leaned back on her chair and sighed, rubbing the back of her neck.

"I'll never be good at this game, I'm afraid."

"I wouldn't say that, Haruka-han."

Shizuru rearranged all the cards so that they were all in one deck again.

"Perhaps tonight isn't your night?"

Haruka waved a hand to dismiss that suggestion.

"Then every Tuesday isn't my night, Fujino. I've yet to win a game against you."

"... Perhaps you would like to play again?"

Haruka shook her head, opting instead to get up from her seat. She stretched her arms above her head and sighed.

"No, I think we'll end for tonight. It's getting late and I have morning classes to attend to."

She nodded.

"Thank you for having me over."

It was a forced attempt at being polite but Shizuru was never one to be rude. She graciously nodded as she too stood up.

"Thank you for stopping by, Haruka-han."

At this point Natsuki had looked up from her textbook. Reading glasses were perched on her nose and she took them off to wipe the lenses with the edge of her t-shirt before folding them up.

"Going home now, Suzushiro?"

Haruka nodded.

"Have a good night, Fujino. Kuga."

With that stiff goodbye Haruka showed herself out. Shizuru closed the door and locked it, but did not leave the doorway immediately. Instead she stared at the door with a thoughtful expression on her face. Natsuki frowned and pushed herself off of the couch to make her way over to her girlfriend.

"Is something wrong, Shizuru?"

Shizuru knew better than to give Natsuki any sort of elusive answer, so instead she sighed and turned.

"I don't know, Natsuki. I just don't know."

Natsuki thoughtfully placed a hand on Shizuru's shoulder, letting her hand trail gently down the older girl's arm before her fingertips rested against Shizuru's palm. Shizuru took the cue and squeezed Natsuki's hand gently in response.

"You know, I notice that whenever Suzushiro stops by she rarely gets any of her grammar wrong."

Shizuru smiled sadly.

"Ara, it's interesting, isn't it? She hates being corrected when she is in the middle of some heated exposition, so she takes her time when she speaks. I dare say it's landed her in a bit of hot water at several university lectures, so she has been much more careful with grammar usage."

"Makes sense, I suppose. It's not like she has Yukino there to constantly correct her."

With that, Natsuki frowned.

"Come to think of it I can't think of the last time I've seen the two of them hanging around."

"Perhaps they have simply been preoccupied," Shizuru noted. "Exams are coming up soon if I recall correctly."

Natsuki winced.

"Ah, you don't have to tell me twice. It's scary to think I have a decent chance of not being able to graduate if I don't pass."

"My Natsuki would never fail out of classes," Shizuru reminded with a small tweak to Natsuki's nose. "After all, she has been studying so hard lately and not playing with her bike in the garage, correct?"

There was something very compelling about Shizuru's smile that made Natsuki smile back despite the feeling of cold dread that began to creep into her head.

"O-Of course! No playing around with that motorcycle at all!" She tittered nervously for a second before clearing her throat. "No, nothing like that."

Shizuru laughed then, a clear bell-like laugh that caused Natsuki to crack a warm smile before she breathed in deeply. She stifled her yawn as best as she could, but there was no denying that she was tired from an evening spent reading over mathematical equations. Shizuru sighed contentedly before leaning forward, resting her lips against Natsuki's forehead in a quick kiss.

"Go wash up. I'll join you in bed soon, okay?"

Natsuki nodded sluggishly.

"Gotcha. Don't stay up too late."

With that the younger girl turned and made her way to the bathroom. The sound of running water occupied Shizuru's mind for only a moment before she turned to look at the dining table. The deck of cards were still sitting on top and she walked over to the table.

"I wonder..."

She let the unspoken thought drift as she picked up the deck and pushed it into its box.

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><p><strong>AN:**

I always like to imagine that Suzushiro and Fujino have a friendship that no one thinks is possible, which makes it all the more interesting. This piece is meant to be a bridge between the last chapter of On the Roof Again and the story I want to present.

Thanks for reading.


	2. Scope

Hello, Author here with the next installment.

Please enjoy.

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><p><strong>1 - Scope<strong>

The student council office was decidedly cold but the Kaichou never seemed to mind. She sat at her desk and absently flipped through papers with a distracted look on her face. Really it was just to waste some time before the final set of bells rang and the students of Fuuka Academy spilled out to the cold wintry streets. An hour was what stood between Natsuki and winter break, and her fingers twitched in anticipation. Tonight was going to be a big night, she reminded herself with a small smile. Her hand reached into the pocket of her jacket. The velvet box was still there, patiently sitting. Shizuru had been so insistent that they delay celebrating her birthday until after the holidays started, but Natsuki was never a very patient person. Yes, tonight was going to be a big night.

Natsuki looked up as the door to the council room opened. She leaned forward on the desk and rested her elbows on the wooden top as her Executive Director walked into the room.

"Oh, Yukino. I'm glad you're here."

The mousy girl blinked and adjusted her glasses.

"You said you wanted to see me, Kaichou?"

Natsuki frowned and leaned back against her chair. A small pout began to form on her lips.

"Yukino, you know you don't have to call me Kaichou."

"Ah, I'm sorry..."

"No, no, it's okay."

Natsuki preemptively waved away the budding response from the standing girl and waited for her to take her customary seat beside the heavy wooden desk. Yukino cleared her throat and absently rubbed her arms to restore a fraction of warmth to them. Natsuki studied her uncertain movements and sighed.

"It's been a hell of a year, hasn't it."

Yukino looked up.

"I... I suppose."

"But that's all about to change. It's soon going to be winter break, after all. I for one can't wait to get out of this freakin' dump." Natsuki crossed her arms. "Shizuru was wondering if you and Suzushiro were free this weekend."

Yukino adjusted her glasses. Despite her efforts they slid down the bridge of her nose. She hastily hiked them back up—a nervous habit.

"Well, I am free. I... I don't know about Haruka-chan. May I ask what the occasion is?"

Natsuki shuffled through her packet of papers and procured a small card. She smoothed it over before handing it to Yukino, who in turn unfolded the card. It was simplistic in its design but the lettering had been done with impeccable penmanship. It was an invitation, that much was certain. She read the letters quickly and finally centered on the meat of the message.

_You are cordially invited to the annual Christmas party hosted by the Fujino Corporation._

"Oh... I've heard of these parties. They seem rather extravagant in their descriptions."

There was something lost that echoed in Yukino's voice. Yukino placed the invitation back on the desk and looked up at Natsuki who in turn had a knowing smile on her face.

"Well, I guess that can't be helped considering just how loaded Shizuru's family is." Natsuki paused to consider the invitation on the desk. "So? What do you think?"

"About?"

"About going, Yukino."

"M-Me?"

This time Yukino couldn't avoid the stammering squeak that trickled out of her voice. Natsuki nodded once.

"I was told Suzushiro gets a family invitation in the mail, but Shizuru was unsure of whether or not you were told about this." Natsuki frowned. "I assumed you were... but looking at the expression of your face it looks like you didn't know."

Yukino froze, this time not from the chilling temperature of the council room. Her hands twitched before balling up in her lap in a nervous mess of fingers that grasped too strongly to each other. Natsuki chose this moment to stand up from her desk, first to stretch. She remained standing, however, and regarded Yukino with an unreadable expression.

"You know, Yukino. One of my jobs as Kaichou is to be the listening ear of the school's population. I'm the voice of the school's population, after all." She paused to collect her thoughts. "Anyway, what I'm trying to say here is that you can talk to me."

Yukino failed to respond and Natsuki shrugged.

"That said, I'm not about to pry." She checked her watch and visibly brightened. "Oh, it's almost time to go home. I can't wait—"

Yukino shifted in her seat, momentarily distracting the Kaichou from her exuberant thoughts.

"Have you seen Haruka-chan lately?"

Natsuki blinked.

"Not since Tuesday night. You know, poker night. It was at our place this week."

"Oh."

Her hands refused to sit idly.

"Oh. I see."

She stood, stiffly. With a hurried, stammered apology she showed herself out of the room. Natsuki watched her go but made no effort to chase her down. Instead she watched the door shut with a pensive expression on her face.

* * *

><p>"<em>It's disgusting."<em>

_Yukino looked up at Haruka's face. The brusque Executive Director did little to hide her sneer as she regarded Fujino Shizuru smiling a vapid smile towards one of the many enamored young girls surrounding her. Some sugary words tumbled from the Kaichou's tongue and the girls seemingly lapped up every last drop in their unending admiration._

"_Look at her, leading on those innocent girls! Such shame."_

_Haruka looked as if she had stepped in something decidedly unpleasant, but Yukino failed to see why. All the Kaichou was doing was indulging her audience. Was that what Haruka was finding disgusting?_

"_It's unnatural! I can't let her contaminate those poor girls' minds towards accepting such loud behavior!"_

"_... Lewd?"_

_Despite Yukino finding the correct correction to Haruka's statement, she was still confused as to _what_, exactly, Haruka found so lewd. _

"_Haruka-chan, I'm sure she doesn't have any intention on leading freshman astray..."_

_Haruka barely contained a derisive snort._

_At the time Yukino thought little of it. For right now, it only bit briefly before ebbing away._

"_Oh I'm sure she doesn't!" _

_The sarcasm bit through her loud exclamation. Haruka jerked her chin towards the now-laughing Kaichou. _

"_She'd poison the minds of any girls stuck in her rasp!"_

"_Grasp, Haruka-chan..."_

"_Exactly! Now come on, Yukino-chan, we're breaking up these shenanigans."_

_Haruka marched purposefully towards the Kaichou, rolling her sleeves up to her elbows and ready to bellow at full blast. Yukino followed her dutifully but fell behind a few steps, taking the time to adjust her glasses. Once, twice. A nervous habit. This time it served to mask the strange burning sensation she felt in her eyes. _

_Disgusting._

_Unnatural._

_How long did she feel like this? _

_The bellowing was lost to Yukino's ears. By this time the gaggle of girls had left the premises, leaving the Kaichou to blandly drive off the Executive Director's loud tirade against the "blatant poisoning of students' rinds." She failed to even correct Haruka's yelling, instead melting into the background noise._

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><p>Safe.<p>

It was safe to go into the background, to hide behind glasses and open textbooks. It was safe to make coffee and tea during breaks, to carry trays of beverages to waiting individuals, and later it was safe to sit behind a clipboard and assign tasks behind the comfort of the Executive Committee desk. Most of all, it was safe to remain quiet, tucked away in the corner of the room amidst the chaos that was Fuuka Academy.

Yukino gripped the sides of her head with unsteady fingertips. She had abandoned her original plan of scurrying away to her dorm room in favor of simply standing against the closed door of the Student Council room. She let out a shaky breath and stared at the floor in front of her shoes.

Safe.

She kept her quiet for one more day. Outwardly she shook; inwardly she screamed.

_Kuga-san wasn't implying anything with her invitation_.

_But then why didn't Haruka-chan say anything about this event?_

_Is she avoiding me?_

_What is going on?_

Her mind was not suited to idle tasks. It ran a million miles and through imaginary flow-charts that stemmed to infinity. This was unhealthy. She knew she would tire herself out if she continued on this frenzied train of thought.

Another shaky breath reverberated from her lungs into the chilly air surrounding her.

"... Kikukawa-han?"

Yukino froze. Immediately she recognized the polite voice that carried a soft question with it. She looked up from the floor slowly until her eyes rested on a pair of concerned crimson eyes.

"F-Fujino-san..."

It had been two years, give or take some months. But she could never forget that night. Fujino Shizuru's eyes were not gleaming with some psychotic light at the moment, in fact she looked rather exhausted despite looking concerned.

_Concerned? For me?_

It didn't make sense. Her eyelids briefly fluttered in an unconscious reaction. Snapshots flicked by and the distinct memory of a mentally-unhinged Fujino slicing through her Child came to the forefront almost immediately. Blood streamed from her lips in one thin line—her cheek was a mess of angry purple. Her eyes glowed in the dusk, crimson piercing through all. All she could remember was the cacophony of screams echoing in her head as green lights that illuminated the sky, piecing apart the body of her most important person as Diana fell in battle.

_Wrong._

She shook her head, ridding herself of the unsettling images and sounds. No, this was in the past, now. She was safe, now. Haruka was safe, now.

Safe.

"Kikukawa-han."

Yukino blinked.

"O-Oh! I'm sorry, Fujino-san."

She placed an unsteady hand above her thundering heart. The world came back to her in sharp focus. Shizuru nodded, acknowledging Yukino's apology.

"It's quite alright... you seem a little tired, today."

Yukino managed a small smile.

"You look tired as well..."

Shizuru mirrored her smile and looked out towards a window.

"I have to admit that the holiday season isn't as restful as one would hope."

She turned and regarded Yukino once more.

"Is Natsuki in?"

Yukino nodded.

"Thank you, Kikukawa-han."

Shizuru excused herself by opening the door to the Student Council room. With her exit from the hallway Yukino felt some of the feeling return to her outer limbs. She mechanically began to separate herself from the wall that had supported her back. Her fingertips furiously rubbed against the fabric of her skirt as she walked down the hallway, stopping momentarily to look back at the Student Council room.

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><p>"<em>Haruka-chan... do you hate Fujino-kaichou?"<em>

_Haruka looked up from her third piece of curry-bread. Yukino idly tapped a pattern on the computer chair she had been sitting in for the better part of the afternoon._

"_Hate? Where did you get that from?"_

_Yukino shifted in her seat._

"_You seem to be very... vehemently against what she does."_

"_Well of course! Someone has to show her that her behavior is representable!"_

"_... Reprehensible?"_

"_Yes, yes, that one." Haruka turned back to her meal. "Why do you ask, Yukino?"_

"_Oh... No reason."_

_If Haruka had noticed any falter in Yukino's voice she failed to say anything about it. Instead she decided to focus on the question at hand. To Yukino's surprise she took all of three seconds to answer, and her response was without any embellishments._

"_No, I can't say I hate her." _

_Haruka leaned back and stretched her arms above her head. _

"_But now that you mention it, her lewd behavior towards that Kuga-delinquent is getting even more out of control if you ask me. The way she looks at her..."_

_Haruka's lips curled into a sneer._

"_It's almost as if she has feelings for that upstart. Romantic feelings! For a girl, no less!"_

_She crammed the rest of her curry-bread into her mouth and vigorously chewed it up before swallowing it all down. She clapped her cheeks and sighed forcefully._

"_Thinking about that bubuzuke-onna is enough to give anyone a weepy feeling."_

_Yukino remained silent once more, neglecting to correct her friend's vocabulary error. But Haruka wasn't paying too much attention as she proceeded to thumb through the thick wad of papers on her desk. She looked up at the clock and stood up from her seat._

"_It's time for rounds, Yukino."_

_She punched the palm of her open hand with a decisive fist. A determined gleam entered her electric blue eyes._

"_Let's go get some delinquents! I'll show them the meaning of upholding the moral clam!"_

_Yukino stood as well and pursed her lips._

"_Calm, Haruka-chan?"_

_Haruka clapped her hands once and smiled._

"_Yes! Let's go!"_

_She marched out of the room with a seemingly righteous fury that would undoubtedly fuel her well into the evening hours. Yukino lingered behind for just a moment, taking only a moment to quell the thoughts that raged inside of her head._

_Was it really wrong?_

_Was it really unnatural?_

_Whatever objections Yukino had, she shelved away. The afternoon was waiting. _

_Haruka was waiting._

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><p><strong>AN**

I think I like Chrysant better than Kikukawa. She's a more confident version of Yukino. Kikukawa is a bit of a challenge to write beyond "oh she's shy," but I guess that's part of the intrigue. I have tried to write an unlikeable character before with Tate in this story's prequel, but I think I have slightly different plans for Suzushiro.

Cheers._  
><em>


	3. Check

Hello everyone, Author here.

I hope you enjoy this next installment.**  
><strong>

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><p><strong>2 - Check<strong>

If Haruka abhorred one thing above all else, it was running late. Running late meant every other task scheduled for the day would effectively start later than the expected time unless she went double-time to fix her errant schedule. Today this would mean sprinting full speed towards the bus station to see if she could make it in time to flag down the 8:30 bus. She was no stranger to the activity and indeed it wasn't necessarily hard, but her mind had been occupied as of late and as a result her attention derailed her running into a half-hearted jog.

_What the heck is wrong with me?_

Her footsteps dragged into a still silence. The cold was beginning to creep up from the city streets but she made no move to fasten her coat shut to ward off the cold. Instead her hand snaked into a pocket and extracted a folded over card. She checked her watch and gave a weary glance towards the bus stop.

_Fuck it. I'll just wait for the next one._

She fidgeted, uncertain at first. But time wasn't going to magically rewind so she could have it her way. She allowed herself some time to calm down before unfolding the card in her hand.

Haruka was no stranger to Fujino invitations. Despite the scions of the two families being on tenuous terms, their fathers were actually very compatible business partners. They had even attended the same academy together and later the same college, much like their daughters were doing right now. Fujino was content to "show off his wealth" as her father would put it, and her father was content to attend the extravagant functions despite his personal aversion to such displays. Haruka had often wondered why her morally upstanding father would indulge in such behavior, but Suzushiro Junpei had offered a rather succinct response that ceased anymore mentioning of the topic.

"_I don't go to these functions for that bubuzuke-otoko. I go because it is what his wife would have wanted."_

There was an unspoken story told between the curiously blank crimson eyes of Fujino Shigeru, and the worried crease of Suzushiro Junpei's brow. Haruka felt it wasn't her place to ask. It wasn't her time to delve into. But something eased in her father's eyes whenever he saw Fujino Shizuru, and ever since she could remember, it _hurt_. Her father had offered nothing but the most begrudging of approvals towards his only daughter, but whenever Shizuru was mentioned in passing, Junpei merely sat back with a curiously complacent look on his face. It didn't matter how many instances of immoral behavior Haruka could come up with. No matter the amount of mud she had thrown all over the image of her heated rival, she could never succeed in dirtying the reputation of Fujino Shizuru to her father's eyes.

Was it really Shizuru's fault?

In the back of her mind logic dictated that it wasn't. It more likely than not had something to do with the relationship between her father and Shizuru's father. Logic repeated this string over and over, ad nauseum. But Haruka had gotten very good at shutting down that part of her mind. Logic was logic and it was very sensible, but it chipped away at her like a chisel being taken to stone. For some awkward reason her rival could do no wrong, and there was no real explanation that could put it all in perspective. It baffled her. It eventually angered her. And that led to a dark growth of hatred focusing on what she thought was the most damning of all of Shizuru's habits.

_Unnatural._

_Wrong._

Funnily enough, Shizuru's sexuality was rarely discussed in the affluent circles of their society. If it was known, then everyone did a very good job of keeping it under wraps. Either that, or Fujino Shigeru did a wonderful job keeping everyone's mouths shut. The most prominent rumor about the Fujino family was that they were involved in the _yakuza _if not part of the criminal organization itself. Haruka had her doubts, but her father remained surprisingly tight-lipped about any _yakuza_ rumors which tended to fuel her curiosity. Then again, she supposed that if she really wanted to find out, she knew who to ask.

She knew who to ask.

Haruka sighed and tucked the invitation back into her coat pocket.

She didn't really understand the Carnival all that well, even after about two years since it happened. All she could clearly remember about the event proper was splitting apart into pretty green lights, head-butting Fujino, and the strange plant-like thing Yukino had summoned in a panic. But just as soon as the crazy started to reach a fever pitch, it ended just like that. Then came graduation, and then came university, and then came the realization that she and Fujino were destined to stick together on the academic front. They were to inherit the majority share of their respective businesses, after all, and it was only accepted that they would go through the motions like their fathers before them. This meant shelving away the feelings of disgust in favor of quiet neutrality which Shizuru seemingly found just peachy. But silence was more prevalent in their conversations now than it ever had been, and she found herself wishing that they could go back to the constant bickering of their high school years.

Haruka had drifted, now. She was not tied to anyone in the Fuuka Academy aside from a handful of visits she had participated in with the other former members of the Student Council. It helped the Academy immensely to keep tabs on the benefactors that helped fund the school, and her family's company was now at the forefront of talks to keep the checkbook open and the ink flowing readily. It was a grooming exercise on her part, to prepare herself for more bureaucratic ventures in her father's company, but it was awfully boring. She preferred to be out on the construction sites and even working her own hands to the bone over sitting at a desk all day. That seemed like more of Shizuru's avenue, at least outwardly. But she knew more than most how seriously Shizuru took her studies and the late hours she spent in the university libraries for research.

Everyone was making something of their lives after the Carnival. Everyone was trying to find their own footing. Haruka couldn't think of an example of someone who wasn't. Perhaps Tate Yuuichi flicked into her mind for all of two seconds, but she hastily shoved it out. It was no secret what he did to Mai, but it was more of a cautionary tale to her ears. He wanted something more, tried to reach for it, and failed. But he wasn't making a fool of himself. He hadn't quit his position as Vice President of the Student Council, and in fact he was doing his job much more efficiently now. It gave her a little comfort to know this.

Everyone was making something of themselves.

_What am I doing?_

Her past self would have called this person standing in the bus stop a fool. Or a tool. Or a spool. Whichever strange lapse of vocabulary she tripped into. In her mind the small breathy voice would correct her timidly, but with a strange sense of assurance. At least someone understood her. At least someone made an effort to understand her strange grammar and too-loud voice.

But Yukino was nowhere in sight. If Haruka recalled correctly she was most assuredly still in the Student Council room, filing away the last bit of Executive Committee reports for review. Then would come the Winter holidays, and after that the last push into exams and eventually graduation. She had no doubts that Yukino would place first overall and get accepted into any college she applied for. It was only natural, after all. A predictable pattern.

Safe.

Life is everything but safe.

Haruka let loose an uncharacteristically shaky breath and looked across the street. Tired eyes stared at a bakery awash in soft lights. A row of cakes with whipped frosting advertised a special on Christmas cakes. Her eyes dimmed in fond memories.

* * *

><p>"<em>Haruka, I would like to introduce you to someone."<em>

_The Christmas cake had been opened and two slices were eaten already, but she still eyed the cake in hopes of snagging another slice. Her father had received an advance from the construction company he worked in, and the first thing he did was buy a small cake for himself and his daughter. The rare treat was understandably distracting, so her father waited until her attention was fully on him._

"_Oh? Who is it father?"_

_The patriarch of the Suzushiro family winced momentarily at the booming voice that exuded from his young daughter. Hopefully she would grow into it, he reasoned with himself. _

"_You remember the Kikukawa family, right?"_

"_Yes I do."_

_Her father nodded._

"_They have a child a little younger than you. This winter they've fallen on some hard times, so they've asked if we could help take care of her until they get their bearings straight. She's a little shy, so let's be nice, okay?"_

_Haruka paused and furrowed her brow in thought before brightening into a smile. _

"_We'll make sure she feels at home!"_

_It was hard to argue with the conviction behind the young girl's voice. Her father cracked a rare smile in response._

"_That's good, Haruka. Remember, the Suzushiro family prides itself in..."_

"_Strength, beauty, and GUTS!"_

_They chorused the line to each other, their individual smiles widening. With that in mind, her father walked over to the door and opened it, revealing a tiny girl with brown hair. She stood slightly behind Junpei as he walked back into the living room of their small house._

_Times were simpler, then._

_Things were simpler, then._

_Haruka stood and roughly swiped her hands over the fabric of her pants before extending a hand towards the younger girl._

"_M-My name is K-Kikukawa Y-Yukino." She nearly melted behind Junpei's leg. "P-Pleased to meet you..."_

_Haruka either ignored the stutter or it didn't register in her mind that the girl was almost afraid of her as she bounded over towards the younger girl._

"_My name is Suzushiro Haruka! Pleased to meet too!"_

_Junpei fought the urge to shake his head. His daughter tried so hard. Sometimes her boisterous way of speaking would cause her to mix the word she meant to say with something that sounded similar._

"_... you."_

_The two Suzushiros blinked and looked down at the mousy girl. She nervously adjusted her glasses and shuffled from one foot to the other. For a terse moment Junpei watched Haruka's face. But his daughter smiled and nodded._

"_Yes, that one! Pleased to meet you!"_

_Junpei blinked. By this time Haruka was already dragging the poor girl over to the table where the small cake sat. His daughter gleefully sliced a slice of cake and shoved the small plate towards Yukino who hesitated at first, but accepted it with a stuttered thanks._

* * *

><p>A sense of fondness flooded Haruka's mind until she broke her gaze at the bakery. The fondness began to ebb in favor of a mixed sense of uncertainty that made it hard to swallow.<p>

What was this feeling?

Her hands shook and her mouth suddenly felt very dry. She attempted to swallow and found the act exceedingly difficult as the seconds ticked by.

The bus had arrived, bringing with it a break in Haruka's thoughts. She mechanically began to separate herself from her uneasiness, marching towards the bus with her hands tucked into her pockets. She chose a seat near the end of the bus and tucked her coat around herself, pausing only for a moment to look out towards the bakery again. Her mind flickered with that fond memory once more in some feeble attempt to calm her nerves, but she closed her eyes. It slowly began to slip away as the bus shuddered to life and began to move.

What was this feeling?

It was unnatural.

She heard the roar of a motorcycle down the street and her thoughts stilled back to the monotonous drone of everyday tasks. She checked her phone and sighed. Only thirty more minutes until her arrival home.

* * *

><p>The Ducati cut through back roads to avoid the traffic starting to form in downtown Fuuka. Natsuki knew where she was going and Shizuru trusted her with everything, so the lone wolf revved the engine in an effort to make it to their destination as fast as the bike was able to get them there. Natsuki had mentioned nothing about an evening ride through Fuuka, but she seemed earnest enough and Shizuru knew she could never say no to those emerald eyes.<p>

Winter had arrived but the bitter cold wouldn't start until January, so the ride wasn't too uncomfortable. Fuuka city started to ebb away like the tide that surrounded the island, leading them up and up the roads towards the mountainous side roads. Shizuru looked around inquisitively as the motorcycle slowed to a cautious crawl before idling in front of a patch of railing. Natsuki stuck a leg down to steady the bike, allowing Shizuru to disembark before turning the ignition off and getting off of the bike. Shizuru noticed that the light was not turned off, but she failed to point it out. Maybe Natsuki would remember to turn it off. She propped the bike up using its kickstand and took a second to undo her helmet. Her navy hair streamed out like a flag unfurling in the wind, momentarily entrancing Shizuru as she too undid her helmet. The ocean spray hit their faces and Natsuki breathed in deeply before smiling.

"I always liked Winter."

It suited her, Shizuru noted. The cold and the biting winds encased a crystalline beauty in ice. It suited Natsuki almost frighteningly well. But there was a fire within those emerald eyes and a heart that was larger than anyone would give her credit for.

Winter was also a season that suited Shizuru, Natsuki thought. She was the epitome of a traditional beauty, with grace and manners that were perfect. Ever so perfect. But she fretted and laughed and cried just like everyone else.

Kindred souls.

Natsuki took in another deep breath before shoving her hands in her pockets.

The box greeted her fingertips.

"I love you, Shizuru."

Shizuru fought to keep the thundering of her heart down. Natsuki could say that statement as many times as she wanted, but every instance was enough to make her knees weak and her heart pound.

"I love you too, my Natsuki."

Natsuki nodded and offered a small smile. She sighed and let out an uneasy chuckle.

"Ah, I'm no good at speeches. I just..." She paused to collect her thoughts. "I don't know how to say this. I really don't."

A nervous laugh tumbled from her lips.

"I mean, really. I had written something down and I forgot that at the Student Council Room. Really stupid of me."

Shizuru cocked her head.

"Natsuki must be very nervous if she forgot something. This is rather rare."

"Ah, you're right. This is very rare. And I'm sure I only get like one chance to do something like this, so I'm a little peeved it's not perfect."

Natsuki pursed her lips.

"But let me go through the motions, and maybe I'll get my rhythm back."

"Natsuki... are you sure?"

"Oh... I know I'm never sure of some things, sometimes. But don't worry, Shizuru. I'm very sure of this."

Her hand snaked out of the warm jacket pocket, clutching a small black velvet box. Shizuru studied it with slightly widened eyes. Natsuki hastily dropped down to one knee, nearly smashing it against the gravel of the road's edge.

"So... I was wondering when I'd start getting nervous. I'll just let this do the talking."

Natsuki offered another small laugh before opening the box.

The ring was simple yet elegant a quality that both were particular to. It was a thin band of white gold with three stones. The edge diamonds were shaped in an attractive form that tapered, drawing the eye towards the round center diamond that sparkled brilliantly in the light of the motorcycle's lone headlamp.

"I don't even know if we can legally get married here. But I don't care. I know I'm jumping the gun here, and maybe there's some tradition in asking your father for your hand. But I don't care. All I know is I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Fancy titles and certificates can wait as long as they need to. I just want to be with you."

Natsuki looked up into Shizuru's eyes.

"Say yes, Shizuru. Say yes, and I'll find a way to make it so."

The silence was only broken by the crashing of the tide against the rocks. For a second Natsuki wondered if she had done something horribly wrong.

"Yes."

Shizuru honestly wanted to say something sooner, but the tears had started to choke her as soon as they spilled from her eyes. She nodded to reinforce her affirmation before she reached towards Natsuki. Natsuki blinked and let loose the breath she wasn't aware she had been holding in. It came out in a sort of strangled wheeze. Then she remembered the next step of engagement and she plucked the ring from its box. With shaky hands she coaxed the ring onto Shizuru's ring finger. When Natsuki was certain the ring wasn't going to roll away due to some failing on her part, she stood and clapped the dirt from her pant leg. She looked up to say something but found her mouth curiously occupied as Shizuru wrapped her arms around Natsuki's shoulders and smashed her lips onto hers.

They held each other in the stillness even as the kiss drifted off.

"Natsuki... you will still have to ask my father for my hand, just so you know."

Natsuki snorted.

"I thought so..."

"But..." They separated briefly to look at each other properly. "But I am sure it will go well."

"I dunno." Natsuki raised an eyebrow briefly. "I heard some stories about your father and the _yakuza_..."

Now it was Shizuru's turn to snort.

"Honestly! I don't know where everyone gets these _yakuza_ stories from..."

She sighed and wiped away the remainder of the tears that stuck to her cheeks while a small laugh escaped her lips. She cleared her throat and smiled towards her now fiancée. Natsuki returned the smile before they gently bumped foreheads.

"No matter what... I am yours, my Natsuki."

"And I'm yours, my Shizuru."

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

I borrowed the Fujino and Suzushiro father names from my story _Winter's Road_ because I am not very creative with names, lol.

I have wondered how a relationship between Kikukawa and Suzushiro would work, to be honest. It's easy to say something like "oh they have something going on" but would it ever be as illustrated and "oh yes they are totes meant to be together" as Fujino/Kuga? I'm not sure, really. I guess I wanted to show the contrast here. Thoughts?

Cheers.


	4. Fold

Hello, Author here.

Please enjoy this next installment.

* * *

><p><strong>3 - Fold<strong>

When the day turned difficult, Yukino turned to tried-and-true methods of straightening herself out. She needed to talk to someone who had been through what she was feeling. There were very many books written on what she was feeling, but she had read through the volumes and still felt a desire to know more. The overall best thing, she reasoned, was to talk to someone who had firsthand experience. All experiences were unique, she knew this, but there was something more qualified in hearing from a person rather than reading from a book, especially on this particular topic.

Love was an interesting word. It was a noun, used to describe a collection of emotions that stood separately and yet were connected by some intangible string. It was also a verb. A doing word. Something that implied action, and reaction.

If Yukino chose to, she could sit anyone down and carefully explain the differences between the two uses of this particular word. The audience could walk away from this talk feeling much more informed, but Yukino knew it wouldn't help her particular situation. It was always good and well to talk about things, to communicate them through, but sometimes life was more than just a collection of flow charts. One could only go so far down the line before the hypothetical situations weren't even worth trying to consider. Too many steps laid between her and her goal, and visualizing it seemed more and more of a struggle.

She needed to be fearless.

Intelligence bred caution and in some unfortunate cases, trepidation. Love would not allow for either state of mind to come to play.

Yukino walked to her closet and opened the doors. She knew that one should be prepared for any event. A lone dress occupied the far corner, accompanied by a pair of high heels sitting underneath it. She shuffled through a few hangers and extracted the dress, carefully removing the plastic sleeve that surrounded it. The dress was in a simple but attractive cut, flexible enough to be used in a range of semi-formal events. It was in a pleasing shade of dark green, perfect for winter months and for accentuating her own green eyes. She gave the dress a cautious nod before setting it out on her bed. She looked into her closet once more and picked out a coat as well.

She turned and came face-to-face with the mirror that was placed on the inside of the closet door. She stared at her reflection for an untold amount of time before gently placing her fingertips against the mirror. A smile hesitantly formed, twitched for a moment, then settled into a decidedly flat line as she sighed.

_What am I doing?_

Yukino continued to stare at her reflection. For a wild, fleeting moment she wished that she wasn't in this world. Her mind traveled to a far-off plane of existence, a habit she found herself doing quite often these days. In this different world she was much more confident. She was able to lead. She could make decisions and deal with the consequences regardless of whether they were positive or negative.

Fearless.

And Haruka would be with her through thick and thin.

She closed her eyes. Her fingers curled into themselves, forming her hand into a soft fist.

_Is that what I want?_

She forced herself away from the mirror and turned to look at the dress. A curious twitch of her lips signaled her unease, but she steeled herself with a rare ounce of courage coupled with a healthy dose of logic.

_If I don't go, I will never find out for certain._

* * *

><p>The Fujino conglomerate owned a hotel several minutes away from Fuuka Academy. It was a minor base of operations from which the Fujino family could oversee operations in Fuuka, but it was also a site where the Suzushiro construction corporation could set up shop. Such was the partnership the two families had agreed to, and so far it worked marvelously for the families. Every winter there was a party held in the hotel's expansive lobby and bar. The party was invite-only, and most people clamored to grab a rare invitation.<p>

Natsuki was feeling strangely calm as she stood outside the closed doors of a small conference room down the hall from the lobby. She idly smoothed the fabric of her black slacks before straightening the collar of the light blue shirt she chose to wear for the night. She opted to keep her suit jacket on for now. Despite her outward veneer of calm she was sure she was sweating quite a bit from unconscious anxiety, so showing off soaked armpits would probably be in poor taste. There was also no telling of whether or not she needed to bolt sooner rather than later, so she liked to be prepared. Natsuki took a moment to check her watch before putting her hand back in her pocket. She had very little patience for societal customs. In her opinion any sort of binding agreement should be the business of the individuals involved. But she supposed this was a sort of special case. It wasn't everyday that one could propose marriage to the scion of a rather influential company, so she accepted that there was an exception to her preferences.

She turned at the sound of footsteps and offered a small smile to the beauty in rich, dark crimson standing before her. Shizuru opted for a floor-length strapless gown that draped over her figure with an understated yet elegant touch. Her hair was styled up into a French twist, leaving her neck tantalizingly bare. To round out the dress she had chosen a silk shawl that hugged her arms for now.

Natsuki let out a soft sigh.

"Well... you look beautiful."

"Ara... and my Natsuki looks quite dashing." Shizuru cocked her head slightly to the side. "Although I seem to recall your desire to wear a dress for tonight? I am not complaining in the least, however..."

"Oh." Natsuki offered an uneasy chuckle. "This is just in case I have to book it."

She offered the explanation as a small joke but Shizuru could see that Natsuki was starting to feel nervous.

"Natsuki."

"Hm?"

"Don't worry."

Natsuki blinked. Shizuru usually waved away concerns with a blank smile and some soothing words which made the conviction behind those two words even more sincere. She found herself nodding.

"Of course."

Shizuru walked forward and opened the door to the conference room. They walked in and were greeted with two middle-aged men in the middle of a quiet conversation over glasses of Scotch Whisky. One of the two Natsuki immediately recognized. Fujino Shigeru was getting a little older and the crow's feet were pretty prominent, but so were the laugh lines on his ruggedly handsome face. He was currently nodding to something his colleague was saying but it was clear he knew there were visitors in the room by his tensed shoulders and the barely visible twitch in his jaw. She narrowed her eyes and steeled herself. In the back of her mind she remembered an old saying her mother would tell her when she was younger: unless you enter the tiger's den, you cannot take the cubs.

"Good evening Otou-han, Suzushiro-han."

Natsuki blinked. Suzushiro?

Shigeru responded first with a ready smile.

"Good evening Shizuru."

The other man offered a curt nod. He had the appearance of a lion, Natsuki noted. Now she could see where Haruka got some of her looks from. This was an intense man with bright eyes and a stocky build that contrasted greatly with Shigeru's tall and lanky build. His hair had been cropped close, keeping trim and neat, but Natsuki suspected that if he let his hair grow out it could very well explode into quite the mane. Despite being a three-piece suit the man seemed more at home slapping on a construction helmet and work gloves.

"Good evening, Shizuru."

Natsuki remembered to bow. She gave a courteous, deep bow.

"Good evening."

She failed to see the smile on Shigeru's face grow a little wider.

"Ah, it's Kuga-han. Have I told you about her, Junpei-han?"

The other man shook his head.

"Oh, I see. Introductions are in order, then."

Natsuki straightened.

"Junpei-han, this is Kuga Natsuki, my daughter's girlfriend."

Junpei blinked but offered no comment. Instead he coughed into his hand and stood, offering Natsuki a short nod of his head.

"Pleased to meet you."

Natsuki echoed his greeting in response and he sat back down. She had the distinct feeling that the two of them had just walked into a rather terse conversation earlier, but she wisely decided to remain quiet.

"Was there something you wanted, Shizuru?" Shigeru asked with an inquisitive arch of his brow.

"Yes, but it can wait if you are busy with Suzushiro-han," Shizuru replied.

Shigeru looked over at Junpei who offered no response. Whatever unspoken debate cleared as Shigeru turned to face his daughter.

"It's okay, Shizuru. You may continue."

"I will excuse myself then." Junpei nodded towards Shigeru before facing the couple. "Good evening, Shizuru, Kuga-san."

The two bowed in response as Junpei walked over to the side exit of the conference room. When he left the room was bathed in silence once more until Shigeru poured out a new glass of Scotch for himself. He took a small sip and swallowed.

"Well then... what did you want to talk about?"

Natsuki felt her heart suddenly jump to her throat but Shizuru calmly squeezed her hand. She turned and looked at Shizuru who in turn gave a slight nod before facing her father.

_Together_.

"Otou-han, Natsuki has asked for my hand in marriage."

The silence that ensued hurt Natsuki's ears. Shigeru took this moment to absently have another sip of Scotch, if only to hide the sudden dumbfounded expression that almost cracked through his careful mask of neutrality. He cleared his throat.

"I suppose neither of you are pregnant, which would be impossible considering the circumstances."

His first remark was met with an awkward cough on Shizuru's part and meaningless gibberish escaping Natsuki's stammering lips. He studied them for a moment.

"And Natsuki-han, it is no secret you are a delinquent and have no family to speak of." He crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. "Shizuru is my only heir. After I pass away the company and all of its assets will transfer over to her. Do you understand how much impact that will have on her life?"

Natsuki swallowed thickly.

"I... I do, Fujino-san." She took in a deep breath. "I may not have the greatest head for numbers or economics or how to run a business successfully, but I won't ever give up on myself or Shizuru."

Shigeru studied Natsuki for a long moment. He looked at his daughter and arched an eyebrow before his lips turned into a crooked smile. Shizuru let out the breath she wasn't aware she had been holding in. If there was anyone who could successfully rattle her, it would be her father, hands-down.

"Well... I am sure you said yes, then." He grinned to himself. "At least, I hope you have. It's not everyday one can pick up a dedicated beauty such as her."

Natsuki found her face curiously hot and Shizuru simply responded with extending her left hand out. Shigeru stood from his seat and reached into his jacket pocket for a set of glasses. After putting them on he smiled at the ring that shone from her hand.

"It's beautiful," he declared with a satisfied tone. He looked over at the two of them. "Congratulations, you two. I wish you many happy years together."

Natsuki let out a sigh, clapping a hand over her heart.

"I... I was almost sure you'd have something more to say, Fujino-san."

"It's 'Otou-han' now, Natsuki-han," Shigeru corrected with a click of his tongue. "And what do you mean, something more to say? Were you expecting me to rant and throw a chair in response?"

Natsuki offered a hesitant nod in response. Shigeru chuckled.

"Heavens, no! I harbor no illusions about my daughter and what will make her happy, Natsuki-han. I know on good faith that it would be unwise to force her to marry some other scion of some other company if her heart wasn't in it. Contrary to what anyone else might think, my company will not fall down and die if she chooses to spend the rest of her life with another woman."

He paused and went to the cabinet on the far wall of the conference room. After a few seconds of shuffling he extracted two more glasses and waved the two over. He poured out a shot's worth of Scotch into each glass.

"Tonight is a cause for celebration! After all, my lovely daughter is now engaged to the girl of her dreams, and it looks as if your story will be a happy one." He lifted his glass. "So, cheers!"

The two picked up their glasses. The crystal glasses resonated with a distinct bell-like tone while they raised their glasses and downed the celebratory drink.

* * *

><p>Haruka very much preferred to sit in the background of large events, but her family name failed to give her any sort of privacy. She went through introduction after introduction, blandly catching up with other children whose parents were a part of her father's company. In all the hotel lobby held a pretty sizable crowd of people, eventually giving her a chance to get the hell out of the limelight when the party went into full swing. Her refuge for now was a bench located near the elevators. She sat down with a huff and crossed her arms, contenting herself with idly tapping out patterns with her fingers. Tonight she wore a violet dress with darker accents. She rarely paid attention to dressing herself for formal events, instead preferring to the rely on the suggestions of the butler the family kept under their employ. Tonight was a violet sort of night, he proposed, and here she was with her violet dress.<p>

Her eyes scanned the room briefly before they narrowed. The _bubuzuke-onna_ had arrived into the lobby accompanied by her puppy. The residual sounds of approval from the crowd fed a building ball of anger that boiled in her stomach.

_Why couldn't anyone say it was unnatural?_

_I mean, it is, isn't it?_

It was an awkward sort of friendship Haruka and Shizuru shared. Haruka had always thought that Shizuru was merely toying with the girls in their school until she would get swept away by some dashing young gentleman who would cause her to see the error in her ways. This idea entertained Haruka greatly, but as the years passed the possibility of it happening became ever so slim. It was destroyed completely with the events of the Carnival. After that it was Natsuki, Natsuki, and even more Natsuki. Haruka studied the girl in question. She cut a slim and intense figure in her black suit and light blue shirt. Despite not having any indication of matching, Natsuki and Shizuru looked most at ease when together.

Haruka took a second to ask herself a question that she found herself puzzling over for a while now.

_Is it wrong because Kuga is a girl?_

_Or is it wrong because Fujino is happy?_

She pursed her lips.

_What is wrong with me?_

She used to entertain fantasies of finally one-upping Fujino Shizuru. Most of them involved embarrassing her in front of the entire school, maybe to paint her as a creepy rapist/stalker who couldn't keep her hands to herself. When she and Yukino had observed Shizuru nearly having her way with a sleeping Natsuki, she couldn't believe that fortune could smile at her so favorably. Finally, she would have her revenge, and she had a most wonderful rant lined up to deliver to the seemingly perfect Kaichou.

Thinking back on it, Haruka noted that she wouldn't have regretted if not for one small detail.

Fujino had thrown Yukino a look, a knowing look. Whatever it implied, it caused Yukino to panic that night, leading to her defeat within the Carnival. The implications of such a look had bothered Haruka to no end, but no matter how many times she asked Yukino the smaller girl would refuse to answer. What first started out as a bunch of shrugs turned into a stubborn evasiveness and eventually a stony silence. Something about that look had effected Yukino so deeply that she refused to even revisit that night. The silence had admittedly driven a wedge between the two childhood friends, causing Haruka to throw her ire towards a person who was no stranger to it. Haruka would almost feel sorry for Fujino, who probably had no concrete idea why Haruka felt so bitter, but even this rare feeling would melt away in favor of anger.

It was a slightly laughable matter, playing card games with Fujino Shizuru. In everything else Haruka hated her with the passion of a thousand burning suns. There was simply no other way to describe it. But there was something about playing a gambling game with Fujino that Haruka could very simply tolerate. After all, gambling was based off of luck and a varying amount of skill. Fujino was probably just very lucky. Haruka understood that luck was something one could not necessarily get better at, so she gave Fujino this little concession. This also allowed her to find an activity that was pleasing for the both of them to partake in, if only to cement a future alliance between their respective organizations.

She didn't have to like Fujino ever in order to work with her, she reasoned.

The hours passed and soon guests began to brave the Winter chill to hop into waiting cabs for the ride home. The host of the party graciously thanked his many guests in the process, and soon the lobby was mostly emptied save a few guests including the Fujinos, Kuga, and her father. She stood from her bench and made her way over towards her father who in turn greeted her.

"Haruka, I'm glad you're here. Apparently Shigeru-san has an announcement to make to us."

Haruka gave her father a curious frown before facing Shigeru. It was then that she also noticed another guest who she hadn't seen in the entirety of being at the party. Yukino offered a shy smile but said nothing to Haruka who in turn offered a small nod. She felt her mouth go dry.

_That dress really fits her well._

That would have been an understatement, but Haruka honestly couldn't find the words to mentally evaluate the dress Yukino was wearing. It seemed the dress was cut for her figure and her figure alone. There was something in her smile that made Haruka's knees curiously weak and her brow furrowed as she finally noticed this sensation.

Shigeru waved towards Haruka, breaking her stare.

"Hello, Haruka. Did you have a good time?"

Haruka nodded stiffly.

"Father said you had an announcement?"

Shigeru offered a small smile.

"Always concise... Well, you are correct Haruka."

Shigeru motioned towards his own daughter who walked over with Natsuki in tow. It was then that Haruka saw the ring on Shizuru's finger. She felt something cold trickle down her spine as she saw it.

"My Shizuru is engaged!" Shigeru announced happily.

Suzushiro Junpei offered a polite smile at the exclamation, but Haruka started to visibly shake. It was Natsuki who noticed it first but Shizuru's hand on her arm tightened in warning.

"Congratulations, you two—"

"NO!"

Junpei turned in shock as his daughter vehemently interrupted his sentence. Shizuru blinked.

"... No?" she echoed in slight confusion.

Haruka stamped a foot down in front of her. Vaguely she was aware of Yukino's eyes widening but she couldn't pay attention to anything else but her own anger.

"NO! This is wrong! This cannot go through!"

She stood in a threatening stance and glared at Shizuru, but at this point Natsuki had stepped forward.

"That's enough, Suzushiro! I don't think this is something you can interfere with," Natsuki growled.

"This is unnatural, I cannot believe all of you agree to this!" Haruka roared in response.

"HARUKA!"

If there was one person who could ever drown out Haruka, it would be her own father. She stared at her father in disbelief before narrowing her eyes. She turned on her heel and stormed out of the hotel lobby. Yukino gave a fleeting glance towards Junpei before running off after her. Junpei rubbed his jaw and sighed wearily.

"I am sorry, you two..."

"No. There is no need to apologize," Shizuru replied with a neutral tone, but there was a distinct weariness that stilted her voice.

"Are we just going to let her run out like that?" Natsuki asked with a sullen growl.

Shizuru responded by simply putting a hand on Natsuki's arm, squeezing the tense muscles.

"I'm afraid so," Shigeru replied after a brief lull.

"She will calm down," Junpei added. "Yukino has gone after her. She will calm down."

They weren't sure if Junpei had meant to repeat himself for their benefit, or for his own reassurance.

* * *

><p>"H-Haruka-chan!"<p>

"Wrong! This is all wrong!"

Haruka had stopped marching in favor of standing out in the hotel's private courtyard with Yukino panting behind her.

"That sick _bubuzuke-onna_ turns everyone towards her! It's like she can't do anything wrong, and I can't do anything light!"

"Right, Haruka-chan."

Haruka roughly shook her head.

"Why can't anyone else see how _wrong_ this is?"

Yukino's eyes started to water and she never quite knew why, exactly. Her lips quivered and began to move.

"W-Why is it wrong?"

Haruka stopped and looked at Yukino with an outraged expression on her face.

"W-What? _Of course_ it's wrong! There doesn't need to be a reason!"

"That doesn't make sense, Haruka-chan!" Yukino licked her dry lips. "If you don't have a good reason then why are you so angry all the time? _Why_?"

"This is _ridiculous_, Yukino! That _bubuzuke-onna_ partakes in sick habits—"

"_Who cares_?" Yukino shrieked in the darkness.

Haruka was shocked silent by Yukino's question.

"W-Well, I obviously do..."

"Why?" Yukino pressed, further shocking Haruka, but she wasn't done. "Why do you care? She isn't doing anything wrong to you. She isn't trying to brainwash you or make you do something you don't want to do like you think! She just wants to be happy, Haruka-chan."

It was now her turn to stamp her foot.

"She just wants to be happy!"

Haruka blinked and suddenly furrowed her brow as a thought occurred to her.

"... Why are you protecting her?"

Yukino paused.

"W-What?"

"Yes. Why are you protecting her?" Haruka bared her teeth in a snarl. "Unless you're _like her_."

The poison that emanated from Haruka's lips almost brought Yukino to her knees. This was her _childhood friend_. Memories of sweets and after school walks flooded Yukino's mind as she tried not to sob in front of Haruka who had now become strangely calm.

"It makes sense. You wouldn't protect her so much if you weren't like her."

Yukino bit her lip. Unconsciously she was aware that blood was starting to dribble as her teeth punctured the soft skin.

_Unnatural._

_Wrong._

Her eyes flashed with unshed tears.

"So, did she _convert _you?" Haruka pressed, the disgust clearly evident in her voice. "If so—"

They were only separated by two steps. Yukino took them purposefully, at the same time reaching out. She leaned up on her toes and wrapped her hand around the back of Haruka's head.

Their first kiss tasted coppery, bitter.

Haruka yanked herself free and took several steps back. Shaky fingers touched her lips. Yukino glared at her through the tears that now fell freely.

"It was always _you_," Yukino hissed even as her heart heaved and her lips bled. "I only ever had eyes for _you_."

Haruka opened her mouth to say something but at this point Yukino had turned. She ran, leaving behind her childhood friend.

Haruka let her arms dangle freely by her sides. Something white drifted from the sky, landing on her shoulder before being joined by several more of its brethren. She belatedly acknowledged the snow as it started to flutter down in greater numbers. But she stood in the stillness, her mind blank.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

I'm pretty sure Kuga is underaged, probably nineteen in this story due to her being a year older than the rest of the kids in her class, so please excuse her having a small drink. But I suppose she had a good reason to, after all.

The first hand dealt to Suzushiro has now been discarded. Hopefully she will play a better hand next round.

Cheers.


	5. New Deck

Hello everyone, Author here.

Please enjoy.

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><p><strong>4 - New Deck<strong>

It was Christmas Eve, but it was also morning and Fuuka was covered in a fairly impressive blanket of snow. The roads had just been cleared for the day but the streets were relatively empty. It seemed like one of those quiet little days that one spent at home, surrounded by loved ones.

The Kendo hall at Fuuka Academy was closed save for one set of doors. It was open to let in the crisp Winter air, and to carry out the stuffy heat that accumulated after a harsh workout. It was here that Shizuru spent her mornings while on break, dressed fully in a navy _hakama _and white _keikogi_. She stared at the mirror placed in the far end of the _dojo_. Crimson eyes eerily stared back at her. Her lips pressed into a thin line and she strode purposefully to the center of the room, carrying in her hand a wooden _naginata_. A bamboo cousin of it was already propped up against the wall. She paid it no need as she steadied her grip on the polearm and relaxed. Shizuru gave her mirror image a curt bow before taking a step forward.

The form was performed fluidly and without excess energy. The only sounds from the _dojo_ were the short exhalations of her breath as she swung the weapon down into a slicing motion, the brief scrapes of her feet sliding into place, and the sound of the naginata itself as it sailed through the air. Out the corner of her eye she recognized the presence of one other individual but she paid it no heed. The form could not be interrupted mid-strike. She took in a deep breath before expelling it while shoving the butt of her weapon out to waist-level. The silence rang in her ears but she gracefully shifted her weapon so that it stood by her side. She gave a short bow, signaling the end of her form.

The light sound of clapping reached her ears and she turned.

"That was beautiful, Shizuru-san."

She offered her guest a small smile in return.

"Thank you, Reito-han."

Truth be told, she missed her friend. Reito had all but disappeared from Fuuka despite having a sister and now a love interest who attended the Academy. But he had promised himself to keep on top of his studies, and as such was a rare fixture in the city with the exception of school holidays. He had had his hair cut a little shorter now, Shizuru noticed, but the stubborn waves still spilled down to his golden eyes. He had loosened the woolen scarf around his neck and proceeded to slip off his shoes in order to join his friend in the _dojo_.

"How was your trip?" Shizuru asked, propping the _naginata_ against her shoulder.

"It was remarkably pleasant, but I seem to find myself saying that most trips." He let an easy laugh out. "I suppose I shouldn't be holding out for fantastical creatures or shady government associates anymore, should I?"

Shizuru offered a smile in response and he nodded.

"So... How have you been?"

Reito was no complacent fan-girl. Shizuru was a very charming and beautiful individual, that much he could agree on, but there was something emphatically extra that came out of the ex-Kaichou whenever she was surrounded by her chattering legion of admirers. Perhaps that was what caused the two of have such a good working partnership while they were classmates in the Academy. She did not have to turn on the charm when around him, and he did not have to do the same when in her company. It was a mutually beneficial partnership, but they also knew each other better than most. Fluff-ridden answers would do neither of them good, and Shizuru uncharacteristically sighed. Reito offered her a small white towel which she used to wipe the sweat from her neck and brow. She chose this moment to collect her thoughts before draping the towel around her neck.

"To be honest I can say I am rather happy." She paused. "Conflicted, but happy."

"An interesting answer," Reito noted. "I assume this has to do with Suzushiro-san?"

Shizuru's lips twitched.

"I am... baffled, about what happened. To say the least."

She motioned towards the changing rooms and Reito nodded and grabbed the second _naginata_ that had been propped up against the wall, handing it to Shizuru. He stopped short of entering and turned around, allowing his friend a few moments of privacy. Shizuru quickly but carefully took off her _hakama_ and _keikogi_, folding them up and depositing them into a small crate situated in the bottom of the corner locker. She also placed the two _naginata_ in the locker and closed the door, quietly turning the combination lock to scramble the code. She walked out of the locker room now dressed in a pair of jeans and a black sweater. She shrugged on her coat and gloves before picking up a pair of black heeled boots.

They walked over to the entrance hall of the _dojo_ and put on their shoes before walking out into the courtyard of the Academy. Reito watched Shizuru out the corner of his eye as she sighed and stared at the buildings that surrounded them. He regarded the buildings too, his expression equally unreadable. This was a place of many fond memories despite their trials. They were growing up, now, and the Academy was slowly fading in their minds, making way for life beyond Fuuka.

"I really shouldn't have been surprised at her reaction," Shizuru began. She shook her head. "But who am I kidding? I suppose I grossly underestimated the level of her dislike over my... tendencies."

"It is nothing to be ashamed over," Reito pointed out. "After all, you have found happiness."

"No... No, it isn't something to be ashamed over."

Shizuru closed her eyes and sighed.

"You weren't there, Reito-han. There was something... dreadful, in her eyes. Ugly. I'm afraid I can't describe it any other way."

Reito continued to stare at the buildings before an idea slowly blossomed in his head. He turned to look at Shizuru who was still occupied with her thoughts.

"Hey, let's go back to the old council room."

Shizuru looked at him but failed to voice an objection. They walked a slow meandering path up to the main academic building.

The Council room was predictably empty, which suited the two just fine. Reito walked over to the windows that faced outward and opened one of them, letting in a small breeze. He fished in his pockets and extracted a slim metal case and a silver-plated lighter. He popped the case open and extracted a cigarette. Out of politeness he waved the cigarette case towards Shizuru who shook her head politely. He rested the lone cigarette on his lips and quickly lit it before taking a small drag.

"I started smoking during my first year of college."

He took another drag and breathed out through his nose. The smoke wasn't especially unpleasant in the cold air. He breathed in through his nose and breathed out again, taking out a smaller cloud of smoke in the process.

"It wasn't anything traumatic that caused me to start. I studied into all hours of the night. I just... fell into it, I suppose. It's a poor excuse."

Reito flicked the cigarette gently, letting the loose ashes fly out the window he was leaning over.

"But I find it more calming than most things, especially after the three of us graduated. There was always something comforting about seeing the four of us in this room, and simply getting things done."

He turned and looked at Shizuru. By habit she had taken up a seat on the Kaichou chair. He smiled at the observation.

"It was fun, wasn't it? You, me, Kikukawa-san, and Suzushiro-san whenever she managed to sit around long enough."

Shizuru nodded. She rested her elbow on the desk.

"It was fun, I agree." Her chin nested on the open palm of her hand. "Some romantic aspect of me wishes that we were still all together, in this council room. Perhaps things would be less... bitter."

Reito studied Shizuru sitting at the desk that was once hers. She still looked the part of the regal Kaichou; at least she looked more like a Kaichou than the current one who lounged around at the desk. Shizuru rubbed at a particularly worn spot on the desk with an absent move of her thumb. A tea cup had sat there once and her hand tried to close around something that wasn't there anymore. She settled her hand over the spot.

"But that wouldn't have helped," Reito pointed out. "After all, we weren't all friends when we started out in this room together."

The cigarette bobbed from his lips.

"In fact, that was what caused Suzushiro-san to dislike you in the first place."

Shizuru added a dismissive wave.

"It wasn't that bad. I wasn't in the position for the power like she seems to think I was. I thought it would look good on college applications."

It was a half-truth and one that Shizuru failed to mention to anyone else. The access codes and clearance she inherited with the position had given Natsuki a necessary leg-up on her investigation into the Academy. She never felt bothered being in a position of authority—she just never considered picking one up until the idea had been planted in her head.

Reito gave a nod and took another drag.

"No, I suppose not. But then it did get bad."

He exhaled. Her eyes dimmed.

"And then it got worse."

Her eyes watched the smoke cloud dissipate but her mind had already traveled to the past.

"_Kiyohime."_

_Kiyohime dove in for the kill._

_Diana never stood a chance._

_Feeble._

_She could feel herself smiling._

Shizuru sighed.

"It will never quite go away..." she muttered to no one in particular.

She rubbed her forehead and sighed.

"Isn't that the point, though?" Reito asked. "It will _never_ go away. You can try and drop it. Kuga-san seems to have moved on from it. But have those two?"

He was always honest with her and had impeccable manners, but his voice held a quality to it that Shizuru knew she could never quite shake off. Even when Reito never meant to be he could sound unbearably _cruel_. Perhaps it was a quality he had owned prior to being the vessel of the Obsidian Lord. Or it could merely be the residual influence that failed to disappear completely. However one wanted to explain it, it was still there, and with it brought a host of unpleasant memories into Shizuru's mind.

"I... I have done many terrible things, Reito-han."

Her lips twitched once, twice. They hid the beginnings of a shuddering sigh so that she looked as if she was merely exhaling. She steeled herself and continued.

"I have done these terrible things with little regard to anyone else's well-being aside from Natsuki's. Suzushiro-han was the first casualty in a battle I fought for Natsuki's affections. I will never forget that."

She looked up at him. The sunlight was streaming over his dark head as he stood in front of the open window. She could not help but smile at the irony of the halo of light that crowned the head of the former Obsidian Lord.

"How do you deal with it?" she asked softly.

He smiled ruefully as he took one last drag. He ground out the cigarette on the outside edge of the windowsill before tossing the stubbed cigarette butt into the waste bin.

"I took an easy way out." He shrugged. He tucked his hands into the pockets of his slacks. "I was possessed, pure and simple. If we don't get into the gray areas, that is simply how it went."

His lips twitched in wry amusement at something unspoken but understood by the two of them. There would always be a way to explain one's actions. The difficult part was getting everyone to accept the explanation without too many questions. Reito straightened from his slouched position and cleared his throat.

"I changed too, you know. Although I don't know whether it was because I was always like this, or it was because I played a host to an evil lord for so long." He closed the window and leaned his back against it. "I almost screamed at Mai-san several days ago."

Shizuru raised an eyebrow, silently asking for an elaboration.

"She had served me curry that wasn't mild." He raked his fingers through his hair and sighed heavily. "I hate spicy foods. She didn't tell me it was hot curry. I nearly wanted to yell at her for not telling me. Perhaps it was an honest mistake? Maybe she didn't remember. But it's almost... expected, of me. To be polite."

Shizuru offered no response, but Reito was content without one. He rubbed his brow with one hand before tucking it back into his pocket.

"Will you be playing cards, next Tuesday?"

Shizuru frowned.

"I can't imagine she would want to. Perhaps. Why do you ask?"

Reito pushed himself off of the window.

"Just curious." He looked at his watch and frowned a little before waving a hand towards Shizuru. "I'm sorry to have to cut this conversation short, but it is nearly lunch time. I believe the original purpose of my visit was to ask you and Kuga-san out to lunch. Mai-san has been meaning to speak to Kuga-san."

"Also..." Now his lips widened in a genuinely happy smile. "Congratulations on your engagement, Shizuru-san."

Shizuru allowed herself a small smile as she stood.

"Thank you, Reito-han."

* * *

><p>Yukino found herself idly clicking through her laptop with no particular interests in mind. She leaned back against her desk chair and stared up at the ceiling. It was the afternoon of Christmas Eve, something in the back of her head reminded her. It was a time to go out and get presents, join up on parties, share cake with loved ones.<p>

_Loved ones..._

Yukino let loose a discouraged sigh.

_I really shot myself in the foot with that one._

Her fingertips grazed her healing lips and she winced. They still stung.

_That was our first kiss, wasn't it?_

She frowned.

_Tastes like blood._

Yukino adjusted her glasses once, twice. In an aggravated move she shoved her glasses away from her face. They bounced off the wall and landed somewhere on the floor but she made no move to look for them. Instead her hands clamped over her eyes. Maybe if she pressed hard enough she could forget the look of absolute shock that shone through Haruka's face right after their kiss. Yukino had tried very hard not to read into her subsequent shove backwards, and whatever else Haruka managed to do that night. She had a rather spotty memory of what happened after that kiss, but she knew it was mostly because she had devoted most of her thoughts to getting the hell out of there.

_Cowardly._

Her mind traveled back to another particular night, a night that seemed to be from another time line. Yukino shook her head but suddenly she remembered something about that night other than the untimely demise of her Child.

"_Look who's talking, Kikukawa-han. Aren't you in the same situation?"_

_She kept her gaze steady as she stared at Yukino. Haruka stood between them, equal parts confused and outraged. _

"_N-No I'm not—"_

_Shizuru's lips thinned into a small smile._

"_Then is peeping just your favorite past-time? What a wonderful hobby you must have..."_

_Yukino betrayed herself with a small gasp, but it was Haruka who broke the tension. She marched up to Shizuru and gave her a slap that Yukino was sure had the Kaichou seeing stars._

"_You make me sick..."_

_Shizuru calmly looked at Haruka who fumed in response._

"_What's up with that determined attitude? In the end you can't think of anything but yourself!" Haruka snarled. "Such a person has no right saying anything to Yukino!"_

_She was far from done—her eyes seemingly grew two sizes in her rage._

"_To indulge in such actions between two females... how __**disgusting**__." She took a threatening step forward. "Both you and Kuga Natsuki are—"_

_Shizuru responded in kind with a slap that echoed across the garden. _

"_That was something I did on my own."_

_When she spoke next there was a certain tenseness attached underneath the unnerving calm. Yukino would learn later that it was anger._

"_I won't forgive you for insulting Natsuki."_

_Haruka shot her a bitter glare, but Shizuru was looking beyond her, now. Yukino felt the full force of those crimson eyes studying her._

"_You... 'If it's for my most important person, I would do anything...' Don't you think that as well?"_

_Yukino furrowed her brow. A thousand indecisions raced through her mind, but she ultimately knew what her answer would be. Shizuru's voice cut through the darkness._

"_Yes... my thoughts exactly."_

_She summoned her Element, eliciting a round of gasps and the beginning of their end._

Yukino blinked, breaking herself free of her memories. Again, Shizuru's voice whispered in her ear.

"_If it's for my most important person... I would do anything."_

She had been the eyes and ears of Fuuka for Haruka. She had tried to help her keep the school together during the rampant chaos. But there was something compelling about the blatant disregard of her own safety that Shizuru demonstrated. She made it quite clear her only purpose for attacking anyone with her powers would be to protect and help her Natsuki. Kiyohime had even taken on Kagutsuchi, the most powerful Child, single-handedly in an attempt to protect Natsuki. Yukino could only spy on others, and eventually she could only stand and watch as Haruka was taken away from her. Afterwards as the dust had settled it was generally accepted that the maidens who participated were in fact being manipulated to attack each other by the Obsidian Lord. Most of the maidens went on their daily lives without any pent up feelings of bitterness towards each other.

None of this helped her with what she was doing through now.

Shizuru performed cruel acts for the one she loved, but Yukino did not think that made the older woman any more cruel than the rest of them. The Sister lied about Nao attacking her, starting the Carnival. Natsuki had effectively drawn first blood in the Carnival by hunting down Nao on the suspicion that Nao had injured the Sister. Mai and Mikoto laid beatings on each other harder than anyone else, especially with the losses of Takumi and Yuuichi. Yukino herself had spied on Shizuru and outed her before she had a chance to make sense of anything that Shizuru had done. Shizuru's response to Natsuki's rejection of her feelings was to destroy Yukino, Nao, and the First District.

No one was innocent. Haruka could yell and complain all she would like about Shizuru's peculiar habits and apparent selfishness, but Yukino would always admire the fact that Shizuru did not possess a heart for cruelty. None of them did. That heart was what sustained Shizuru through her psychotic break. The others had forgiven her and each other for their transgressions, for the most part.

Yukino sighed and tried to make out a pattern in the ceiling. When that activity failed she rubbed her forehead. She needed to figure out what was going on in the outside world. Obviously it didn't stop with her hurried confession to Haruka. Anxiety began to make its slow but steady march up from the pit of her stomach but she was already determined. She squinted in her room and briefly remembered that her glasses were somewhere on the floor. She stood and quickly poked around the room until her hands settled on her glasses. She could deal with the nervous breakdown later.

She had made up her mind.

Yukino fitted the glasses back on her face and idly looked down at her laptop screen before raking a finger across the touchpad. The laptop blinked out of its screensaver mode and she typed a few commands before a browser window popped up.

_Am I sure about this?_

She opened up her email client and scrolled through the contacts list. Fujino, Shizuru came to view. Her fingers hesitated for a moment, hovering over the keyboard.

_No. I'm not sure._

She paused.

_But I'll do it anyway._

She typed quickly, and soon the room was drowned in the sound of keys clicking.

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><p>Shizuru felt her phone vibrate in her coat pocket. Natsuki noticed as well but failed to mention it as she was in the middle of devouring half a bowl of curry rice. Mai was currently sitting across from her, blissfully chatting away while Reito contentedly stared out the window. The four were seated in the corner booth of the restaurant Mai worked as a waitress at. Today and tomorrow were her days off and she intended to spend as much time as possible enjoying as much rest as possible before her shifts came back in. Shizuru had only really been paying attention to half the conversation but it was enough to go on. She politely excused herself and unlocked her phone.<p>

She read the email that she just received and tapped her chin thoughtfully for a second before pocketing her phone.

_So, the time has come._

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><p><strong>AN**

I had to re-watch Episodes 22 and 23 today to get the dialogue spoken prior to the Kikukawa-Fujino battle correct. I figured if there was one instance of being completely canon in fanfiction, recollections that take place in the series would fit the bill just fine. This chapter in particular is more of an in-between chapter.

Cheers._  
><em>


	6. Ante

Hello everyone, author here. I apologize for the delay; I have been thinking about where to go with this story. Academics and shifting to a new operating system have been preventing me from proceeding with this story, but hopefully these next set of chapters will make up for the delay.

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><p><strong>5 - Ante<strong>

Haruka didn't get drunk, or at least she tried her hardest not to. She always viewed drinking as an activity better suited for less morally-conscious individuals, and for people who didn't want to face their problems. But today was Christmas Eve or someone's birthday, some Winter occasion. She didn't care. The shot of vodka sat on the bar and she was already staring at it through half-lidded eyes. She knocked it back and winced at the burning taste, haphazardly placing the empty shot glass on the bar top before she heavily leaned back on her barstool. The butler stared at her warily but soon went back to wiping up his glasses. She had taken at least five shots before this one, but she seemed to be in pretty good control over herself. Haruka offered a watery smile towards the butler and motioned towards her empty shot glass. He wiped his hands on a dish rag and walked over, situating himself behind the bar.

"Are you sure you want another?" he asked politely.

"Yeah, give'm t'me."

Haruka thought she sounded wonderfully articulate and sober. The butler raised an eyebrow and reached behind his back for a bottle filled with clear liquor. He poured another shot and placed it on the bar's edge. She snatched it and knocked it back with more conviction than the last one, as if to challenge his belief that she was outstandingly drunk. There was no question that she was. He accepted the empty shot glass and went about his business cleaning up the rest of the bar situated in the sitting room of the Suzushiro mansion. Not too many people got uproariously drunk by themselves on Christmas Eve, but the butler knew that there would always be one.

He turned and glanced at his mistress. Blond hair with neatly trimmed bangs and violet eyes that looked rather intense even through the drunken sheen that filtered over them. His mistress had a rather well-toned body that was evident even underneath winter clothing and she looked as if she had done some sort of athletic training for most of her life. If not for the distinct sagging of her shoulders and the lost look on her face he would have considered talking to her. For now he was merely content with a chance to professionally take away the bottle without causing too much of a ruckus.

Haruka for the most part was feeling pretty good. The vodka was coursing through her blood and she felt wonderful just sitting on her stool. Somewhere in the back of her mind she was pretty sure she would fail spectacularly if she tried to stand up and march herself home, so she sat there and actually took a few minutes to herself. For someone who was always on the movie, sitting down was a rather awkward sensation. Inaction after all bred anxiety in her mind, and she hadn't felt this out-of-touch with herself since the events of the Carnival.

Truth be told she wasn't quite sure what all had gone on when Fuuka quite literally went through an "end of days" scenario. The school had been under attack, panty thieves had been thwarted, and strange things had been popping up all over campus. She almost relished the days when the Executive Committee she was once head of had all these jobs to pursue all over the Academy. Righteous justice and even more righteous punishments were being handed out and for the first time Haruka found that her influence mattered to the school. Then the time for those wacky shenanigans came to an end and the actual meat-and-potatoes of the conflict began to rear its ugly head. People had turned against each other, all for the expressed desire to protect the one they loved.

Haruka very much understood the concept of a "most important person." After all, she had placed great faith and trust in Yukino who in turn was her only real friend. Most people were highly turned off by her rather intense personality and too-loud voice, but Yukino had never been bothered by it. Kanzaki and Fujino played one too many games with each other and everyone else, but Yukino was the one quiet string that neatly tied everything together and get everything done despite the open animosity between Haruka and Shizuru. Yukino was her best friend, her comrade-in-arms, and Haruka could most assuredly call Yukino her "most important person." Haruka was perfectly fine with that title; she just never considered how deeply those feelings ran.

_Could __it __be __romantic__... __What __I __feel__?_

She absently palmed the area above her heart as she struggled through that thought.

_How __on __earth __would __I __know__, __I__'__ve __never __been __in __love__._

Haruka paused and regarded the empty shot glass.

She was always under Fujino's shadow, and the most aggravating part was Fujino had never even tried to shove her under there. Fujino rarely chose to do something that abhorrent, and even if she did there was always the interest of someone else that caused her to go down that path. It was just an abnormally favorable spot of luck and an attractive accent that coasted Shizuru through the council elections and further into the hearts of the students. It wasn't too poor of an outcome, though. Haruka was no fool. She knew more than anyone else that Shizuru did in fact care about the status of the school and the welfare of the students. That was what had incensed her so much about the former Kaichou's erratic disappearance during the Carnival. Fujino's behavior with Natsuki was what fully broke Haruka's self-control down.

Never before had she felt so bitterly angry with someone.

To be fair Shizuru had insulted Yukino first, even though Yukino had spied on her and Haruka never liked spying for any reason. A person's business is for that person to mind, her father would always tell her. But what happened, happened. Haruka got angry and she slapped the hell out of Fujino before she ended up disappearing in a shower of lights. Dying wasn't too bad, she mused. Of course she had no idea that was what was happening, but thinking back on it she wasn't as outraged as she thought she would be when faced with the prospect of death. Haruka knew she messed up her words from time to time, but she had the best word to describe her feelings about the Carnival: crazy. She could have spent months trying to come up with something better, but crazy was the absolute best term and Haruka did not bother with it anymore.

Haruka grabbed the bottle that had been left at the bar and poured out a shot of vodka as steadily as she could. She did not take it right away, however, and instead sat there, staring at the shot glass with an unreadable expression. She liked to think that desperate times call for desperate measures, but Yukino's voice slammed into her mind like a freight train. She gripped the edge of the bar but did not try to ignore it this time.

"_Why __do __you __care__?"_

Haruka sighed.

"_She __isn__'__t __doing __anything __wrong __to __you__!"_

Yukino was nothing if not honest.

Haruka scowled.

"Haruka."

She started and turned in her seat, draping an arm over the back. Her father entered the sitting room with a grim expression on his face, hooking a finger under his tie to loosen it. He stopped and let his hand hang around the collar of his shirt. Junpei gave his daughter an unreadable look before sighing and folding his arms over his barrel chest. His slightly-wrinkled business suit was fairly indicative of him having finished a business meeting over conference call.

"... Are you drunk, Haruka?"

Haruka managed a slow doubtful shake of her head but Junpei waved a dismissive hand in her general direction.

"No, it's fine, don't lie when you're already that far gone. At least you aren't out wrecking havoc while inebriated." He paused and sighed. "Although, I admit it's a little inconvenient that you have started drinking tonight."

"Something wrong?"

"Shigeru was on the phone with me earlier. He's back in Kyoto now and wanted to check in with me."

Only her father was able to call the Fujino patriarch by his given name. Haruka straightened in her seat and Junpei took the seat beside her. He reached for the bottle of vodka and a clean shot glass.

"It wasn't a pleasant call," he said as he poured himself a shot. His fingertips grazed the rim of the shot glass. "In fact he called because apparently his daughter's name has been subject to quite a few interested searches done by members of the _yakuza_."

Haruka raised an eyebrow.

"So the rumors are blue?" she asked without thinking.

Junpei blinked.

"Rumors? What rumors are true?" He narrowed his eyes. "Did someone say something at school about Shizuru?"

She shrugged and he didn't pursue. Instead he turned to regard the shot glass once more.

"It is true, Shizuru did have a run-in with the _yakuza_."

Haruka reared back in surprise.

"So it _is_ blue!"

"True, Haruka," Junpei corrected without thinking. He paused to collect himself and a tiny smile wormed its way onto his lips. "Shizuru once destroyed a gang."

Haruka's eyes nearly bugged out of her skull.

"W-What?"

Junpei nodded.

"Oh yes. You see..." He smiled more widely now, ruefully. "... If there is one thing you never do to a Fujino, it is to do anything malicious to whoever they have a vested interest in."

Haruka found herself absently rubbing her cheek. Junpei began to stare off into the distance.

"How did it go? Oh, right. The gang in question terrorized a girl Shizuru had taken some interest in. It turns out the parents of the girl had gotten into a lot of trouble with a loan shark. The girl in question ended up getting hurt. Shizuru's response when she found out what had happened... was to raid their offices and raze them."

"_Raze_ them?" Haruka stammered.

"To the ground," Junpei confirmed. He breathed in deeply before exhaling forcefully. "I can't imagine the _yakuza_ was particularly happy about that. She was still in middle school when that happened."

Suddenly her cheek hurt a lot less.

"And that was why she left Kyoto?"

"Indeed."

Haruka returned to her solitary shot of vodka. She regarded it for a long moment before looking back at her father.

"But that isn't the point of this conversation. The point is there has been a lot of interest in Shizuru. And a few other girls who all are involved with Fuuka Academy." He paused to think of something. "_Thirteen_ of them, in fact."

Haruka felt her mouth go curiously dry. That number was too exact to be a coincidence.

"Is something wrong, Haruka?"

It took her a moment to realize that she was now standing and gripping the edge of the bar. She stared at her white knuckles before looking back towards her father.

"What were the names?" she asked. She licked her lips nervously. "If you don't mind me asking, that is."

Junpei studied his daughter with a concerned glance.

"Haruka, what—"

"The names, Father."

Her tense voice highly encouraged cooperation. Junpei shifted in his seat so he could turn and face his daughter.

"Shizuru, you know that one already. Off the top of my head I can't remember all of them, but Kuga Natsuki was one name on that list as well. As was Yukino." He frowned. "Haruka, did something happen at the Academy?"

She was sobering up very quickly as the question was asked. What on earth could she say in response? That a star unseen by everyone save for thirteen maidens had once threatened to crash into the Earth and destroy everything unless the maidens participated in a battle where the collateral was their loved ones? It was utter nonsense. No one would believe that. If she wasn't careful she'd be committed to an institution if she even entertained the thought of talking about what happened. The school's accidents had been written off almost completely as was the sudden demise of First District. Her father welcomed the work that his company was given in reconstructing the school, but Haruka was pretty sure the headmistress had to pull some impressive amount of bullshitting to get it all done without too much suspicion. Haruka often marveled at the relative normalcy that had revisited the area in such record time, but now that amazement was quickly fading away. This clandestine nonsense was something better suited for Fujino, she mused.

_What __I __wouldn__'__t __give __right __now __to __have __Yukino __here__..._

She started.

_Yukino__! __She __was __on __that __list__!_

"Haruka?"

"I'm sorry, Father. I don't really know how to answer that question. But I must go." She gave a stiff nod. "If you will excuse me."

Junpei didn't have much a choice when Haruka turned on her heel and purposefully marched out of the sitting room. He thought about going after her, but instead he sighed and rested his arm on the edge of the bar. He stared at the pair of filled shot glasses with a frustrated frown.

* * *

><p>Yukino figured it would be best to meet in a neutral area, but many businesses were closed around Christmas Eve. She had to settle for going to Shizuru's apartment, but Shizuru assured her that when Natsuki was in the middle of playing a video game there wasn't much that would distract her from it. They would, for the most part, be left alone to do what they needed to do. Natsuki was already sitting in front of the television with a headset on and her eyes glued to the screen when Yukino timidly knocked on the door. She looked up and considered calling Shizuru to the door but the older woman was still in the middle of taking a shower. She heaved herself off of the couch after pausing her game wand walked over to the door to let in their guest.<p>

"O-Oh, hello Kaicho—" Yukino coughed when Natsuki gave her a soft glare. "I mean, Natsuki-san."

"You don't have to be so polite, Yukino," Natsuki said with a small smile. "Come in."

Yukino obliged and looked around the apartment with quite curiosity. Natsuki took her seat on the couch again and fitted the headset around her neck, letting it rest there for the moment.

"Shizuru is finishing up her shower so she'll be out soon." At Yukino's nod she continued. "Have a seat. Would you like something to drink?"

"No, I'm fine, thank you."

As if on cue the shower stopped in the bathroom. Yukino calculated that it would probably take a few minutes before Shizuru was ready.

"Sounds good." Natsuki looked at the time with a bored look on her face. "So how have you been?"

Yukino wasn't quite sure how to answer a question like that, but even with Natsuki's bored facial expression she knew that the dark-haired beauty considered her a very good friend and was in fact rather concerned over her well-being. She decided the best course of action was to be honest.

The door nearly shook as a short series of knocks echoed in the silence. Yukino jumped at the sharp noise and Natsuki furrowed her brow. Yukino suddenly felt a strange foreboding sensation that caused the hairs on the back of her neck to lift. She recognized this particular feeling and realized with some alarm that the last time she felt this particular feeling was during the Carnival. She immediately tensed.

"Odd, I didn't think we'd have any more visitors tonight..."

Natsuki walked over to the door and paused for a second to peer through the peep hole. Her brow furrowed even further.

"Who the-"

The door burst open as a heavy foot kicked it down below the door knob. Yukino heard herself scream through the thundering crack of the door.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

The next round is now beginning.

Cheers.


	7. Irregularity

Hello all, Author here. Next installment is now in. Please enjoy, and thank you for continuing to read this piece.

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><p><strong>6 - Irregularity<strong>

There was something to be said on the reaction time of one who had fighting experience and a strong instinct. Yukino's eyes were some of the most perceptive, but even she had trouble following the movements of Natsuki. The dark-haired girl had been shoved back several meters out into the open living room by the explosive force behind the now-bent door, but her arms had shielded a good portion of the blast. She was still terribly confused, however, and her reaction time was invariably compromised by that split-second of hesitation. A stray bit of shrapnel from the door scratched her forehead, causing a slow, steady stream of blood to drip from the open cut.

There were four—no, five, Yukino corrected herself—men leering at Natsuki through the damage they had caused. Their wrinkled dark suits and flashy shirts, coupled with the unnerving sight of lead pipes carried by some, did not paint them in a very friendly light at all. Yukino shrank against the wall as Natsuki narrowed her eyes and planted her feet down in a stable stance. What looked to be the ringleader of the gang stepped forward and studied Natsuki for a moment before cracking a smile towards his cohorts.

"That's one of them. I do believe we have the right place, gentlemen."

"One of what?" Natsuki growled. "What the hell do you creeps want?"

The ringleader's ensuing laugh sounded more like a bark as he shouldered a sheathed katana. His free hand idly swung a charm that was attached to the blade.

"Honey, I wasn't paid to talk."

His lips curled into a derisive grin. Yukino swallowed thickly.

There was a quiet click of a door opening at the end of the hallway. Both parties stopped their silent standoff and a most curious thing happened to the ringleader as Fujino Shizuru stepped out wearing a pair of sweatpants and a tank top. Something dangerous swirled into his eyes and Shizuru shifted, a momentary lack of composure threatening her calm veneer.

"You!"

The ringleader swung the katana in her direction. Shizuru now narrowed her eyes.

"Boss! Don't lose it!" one of the lackeys blurted out, hastily trying to defuse his captain.

"Shut up!" the ringleader snapped. He snapped his head back towards Shizuru. "And to think I've run into you first! It seems luck has favored me today..."

He reached into his jacket. The unmistakable metallic glint of a gun flashed as he aimed the pistol towards Shizuru. His thumb made quick work of the safety, causing much more alarm amongst his lackey.

"Boss, no!"

"I said _shut it_!" He glared at Shizuru. "Do you know what you've cost me, you bitch? Or do you not remember?"

Shizuru pursed her lips. If she was alarmed by the gun she did a remarkable job of not showing it. Yukino would have been thoroughly impressed if she weren't shaking in abject terror over just how badly the situation was turning. Even Natsuki was highly unsure of what to do even though guns were her bread and butter back in the HiME days. But those were magically crafted and spewed out bullets of ice, they were nothing like the firearms smuggled in to serve the needs of the _yakuza_. Natsuki's eyes flicked nervously between the gun and the end of the hallway.

"Ara... it has been a while since I have heard someone else from Kyoto speak."

Yukino felt her jaw drop slightly. There was a _gun_ being shoved at Shizuru and all she could do was comment on the assailant's _accent_? It seemed the ringleader had already bought tickets to Yukino's thought train. His nostrils flared with one abrupt intake of breath, and his brow twitched.

"Boss..."

"I won't tell you to shut up again," the ringleader warned. "And as for you! Fujino! I was given pretty strict orders, but to see you here first... Fuck it!"

Yukino stared at the gun.

_She must have done something terrible to have someone like this threatening to shoot her..._

"Die!"

There was a muffled shout soon after the resultant bang of the gun going off. Yukino had flinched from the deafening noise and could only see the scuffle that began to ensue.

Natsuki had only a second to spare, but it was enough. The bullet had lodged itself into the wall by the time she knocked the ringleader's wrist out of alignment with a hasty grab. Out of her periphery she could see Shizuru begin to run towards her.

_She's safe. Good._

It was too much of a gamble but initially it looked to pay off handsomely. She threw her body weight onto him, knocking them both to the floor. Her ears rang from the gun going off previously as she struggled for control of the hand holding the gun, but the blood from her injury sustained earlier dribbled into her eye. She shut her eyes for only a second... enough time for the ringleader to wrestle himself free.

"Get the hell offa me!"

A second bang.

A beat.

He shakily got to his feet, breathing through his teeth as his chest heaved. Oh, this was bad. He wasn't supposed to use that gun at all. And now one of his objectives was laying at his feet with a steady pool of red growing from underneath her. This was very, very bad. He just knew it.

He looked up and saw a black blur descend upon him. His own katana's sheath slammed into his skull with a sickening crack that was followed by his knees limply hitting the floor beneath him. He swore for a fleeting moment of conscious thought that he could _taste_ the color red. Perhaps it was the cold eyes that were glaring at him that made him think of that particular color, but he would never be able to expand what could have been quite the compelling thought as he saw black.

Yukino wasn't too sure what to think about the rest of the men who had accompanied their unfortunate captain. Whatever level their innocence or guilt was, it was a non-factor in Shizuru's mind. She took three looming steps towards the first man who was still from reeling with shock. The sickening crunch that ensued from her palm slamming up his chin most assuredly signaled a broken jaw. The force of the palm caused him to fly backwards from her, snapping the rest of the men out of their collective trance.

Shizuru regarded the now-advancing men with a glare that could cut diamonds. The katana in her hands had yet to be unsheathed but it served her purposes just fine. She grabbed onto the sheath and brought the sword up horizontally to knock away the pipe that was aimed for her head. She grit her teeth and shifted, jamming the tip of the sheath violently towards the assailant's throat. A muffled choke gurgled from the man's lips as he shakily fell, grasping onto a rapidly-bruising throat before croaking in horrible pain as she slammed the palm of her hand against his ear, rupturing his ear drum. Someone grabbed her shoulder, digging his fingers into her skin. She paused, nesting her weight against the bigger man's bulk and allowing him to pull her in before her elbow slammed into his floating ribs. With a howl his grip lessened and she retaliated by wrapping her arm over his shoulder and grasping onto his shirt from his back. The resulting hip throw slammed him into the coffee table, breaking it in two. She hurriedly blew her bangs out of the way and raced towards the next man, snatching a lead pipe on the way. It took only two heavy cracks of the pipe against the back of the knee and the collarbone to sweep the man off his feet and render him immobile.

These men were far from fighters, Yukino was certain of that much. They had obviously just agreed to whatever they were asked to do because they figured there would be no struggle attached to it. But whatever deal they had agreed to apparently wasn't binding enough to forfeit their own lives, and they reached this conclusion almost as quickly as Yukino did. The frightened men scrambled to their feet as best they could and began to fall over themselves in an attempt to run away from the woman who had meted out so much pain and terror. They wasted little time in getting away, leaving their leader in their wake.

And just like that, it was over.

Yukino blinked.

The ringleader was still kneeling, an amazing feat considering he had no idea what was happening around him on account of getting knocked out. Shizuru let loose a slow, shaky breath as she knelt to pick up the katana, discarding the pipe in the process. Yukino began to open her mouth to say something, anything. The look on Shizuru's eyes suggested nothing but malicious intent as she slowly dragged the katana with her. She stopped in front of the ringleader, her lips straightening into a thin line as she carefully unsheathed the blade. Shizuru paused for a moment, regarding the blade with an appraising eye. It was a rough blade given to years of service and bad handlers, but it would have to do. She brought the blade above her head with practiced ease, staring down at her target with an executioner's gaze. Yukino froze with a scream fighting to get out of her lips.

Shizuru took in a deep breath but stopped as she felt something restricting her arm. A calloused hand, warm and familiar, cupped her elbow with shaky fingers but a firm grip. From her periphery she could see slightly-disheveled dark blue hair. Immediately her grip on the blade loosened as her arms began to relax, allowing Natsuki to quietly disarm her.

"N...Natsuki?"

The younger girl nodded then winced. She dropped the katana and waved a dismissive hand towards the ringleader kneeling before them.

"Fortunately for us... he has terrible aim."

She continued wordlessly, stepping more into the light. She was grasping onto her right side with her left hand. But she was standing, and her eyes were alert.

"It's okay, Shizuru. Stand down."

Natsuki let loose a sigh. She glanced unsteadily at Yukino who also stepped into the middle of the living room. Shizuru started, noticing for the first time that they had a guest before the night had turned so horribly intense. Yukino gave a hesitant nod towards Shizuru before nervously clearing her throat.

"W-What should we do now?" Yukino asked.

A brief pause.

"These people were sent here for a reason," Natsuki pointed out in a gruff tone, her investigative self taking over for the moment. She scanned the room with her eyes before settling on the ringleader. "But this man in particular knew you, Shizuru. I don't know if these two facts are related, however."

Yukino could see that the air was becoming tense, but she could not help but stare at the blood that was beginning to dry between Natsuki's clamped fingers. A stopped wound was a healing wound, but she knew that risks needed to be minimized to facilitate a clean healing process. Her concern overruled her caution and she cleared her throat, catching Natsuki's attention.

"We... we need to get you patched up."

Natsuki looked up towards Yukino and gave a curt nod.

"We have a first aid box in the bathroom."

"Oh.. good... good." Yukino bit her lip. "Please come with me, then."

The kit in the bathroom was heavily stocked with bandages and rubbing alcohol, and soon Yukino went to work cleaning the wound with towels and a basin of water as Natsuki sat on the closed toilet with her shirt already rolled up. Eidetic memory and countless hours studying medical textbooks had given her working knowledge on how to accurately dress and wrap the wound. Yukino guessed that Natsuki's past and their collective experience as HiMEs predisposed Natsuki to being familiar with pain, but the thought gave her more sadness than admiration. Yukino stepped back to observe her handiwork. The bandages would stay, she surmised, and if they were replaced at least once everyday there would be little risk of infection. Natsuki was up and moving about, indicating that perhaps the greater damage was related to the shock of having a gun go off rather than the wound itself. That, or adrenaline was kicking into an incredibly high gear. Yukino's brow tensed. That would mean the crash would come soon, she noted.

"I... I think you should rest..."

Natsuki waited until Yukino carefully adjusted her t-shirt back down before getting up from the toilet.

"I'm feeling pretty damn good right now..." Natsuki paused as logic began to wrestle with adrenaline. "But you're right."

Natsuki threw an uncertain gaze out towards the living room as they both exited the bathroom. Shizuru was standing before the ringleader, but her hands were empty. Instead she merely stared down at the man with an unreadable expression on her face. The slightly-bent door was now closed and locked securely. Only the gun remained out of the assorted weapons that had lain around the apartment, and it had been placed on the side table with the magazine already out. Now, Shizuru looked positively exhausted. Natsuki walked up behind her and quietly wrapped her arms around her fiancée.

Yukino studied the two, becoming acutely aware of the pained spike that buried itself in her heart. She shakily chose to sit down, clasping her hands together and fiddling with her fingers. The danger was over, she knew this. The sense of trepidation had faded away and she felt exhaustion creep up on her, a sign that stress and adrenaline were seeping away from her body. She could tell in the sagging shoulders of Shizuru that even though her eyes were still very sharp, her body was visibly fighting exhaustion as well.

"You need to rest," Shizuru began in a low tone.

Natsuki nodded against Shizuru's back.

Questions would have to wait. For now, everything would have to wait.

* * *

><p>The winter night was an excellent remedy to Haruka's blurred senses as she raced through the streets. The street lamps provided enough illumination to get by without too much slowing down, and quickly her lungs pumped out huge clouds of steam that wisped past her face. She knew the area like the back of her hand but that thought couldn't erase the fact that it would still take her a good ten minutes to get to any of the areas Yukino would frequent. Her cellphone had failed to respond to any of Haruka's calls, leading her to a blind chase down the streets. She allowed herself to slow to a jog while she racked her brains. It was late, which meant the school was out of the question. Would the dorms suffice? Or maybe she was out with someone else? Who would that someone else be?<p>

Her feet stilled and she let loose a frustrated groan.

"Where am I going..."

She took in a deep breath. The cold seared her lungs and caused her to wince as her throat constricted briefly. She skipped a little into an uncertain jog and turned a corner. There was a muffled shout as she slammed into someone who was rounding the corner while going the opposite direction. She shook her head as she steadied herself, instinctively bringing her hands up. The man who ran into her started and waved his hands in a gesture of frantic surrender. She frowned.

"Huh?"

The man offered no solution to her confusion as he tripped over himself in an attempt to get as far away from her as he could. She watched him go before shaking her head.

"What the hell is going on?..."

She craned her neck and stared down the alleyway where the man had been running through before their crash. A brief survey of the area confirmed her nagging thought as she stared at the apartment complex ahead of her.

"That's Fujino's place..."

A slow whine started to echo in the back of her head as her feet began to move towards the apartment complex.

_What was this feeling?_

Her body offered her no answer, only a boost in speed. Soon she found herself running towards the complex, skidding to a stop near the elevator and jamming her thumb on the up arrow.

_Please let her be there..._

This was not the type of visit Haruka had imagined. She hadn't talked to Shizuru since the debacle at the holiday party. She had anticipated maybe taking a month before begrudgingly trudging back up to the apartment to apologize and perhaps make amends for her outburst. Life apparently found her careful plans laughable, however. She licked her dry lips and waited for the waiting elevator to open before hurriedly stepping in and tapping the number for Shizuru's floor. She gave her surroundings a cursory look and immediately locked onto a smeared hand print on one of the steel walls. She knew that color.

_Scratch that._

_Please let her be okay._

She could feel her pulse thudding in her head. Her fingertips twitched. The elevator door opened after a shuddering halt and she took off like a race horse starting off the block. She saw nothing but the door to her destination.

_Is that door bent?_

_What the hell is going on?_

She stopped and raised an arm. Three heavy pounds echoed in the night and she waited, shoulders heaving.

"It's me!" she called, clear in the night sky. "Open up, Fujino!"

A few seconds later there was a click of the locks being worked. A shuddering groan of the slightly-broken door being heaved open greeted her call.

Crimson eyes almost glowed in the darkness, entrancing Haruka for a second before she felt the collar of her coat being grabbed. She was yanked into the apartment and slammed against the wall. A surprisingly strong, slim arm pinned her against the wall as those crimson eyes studied her meticulously before they flicked towards the open doorway.

"Were you followed?"

There was no trace of politeness in Shizuru's voice. Haruka shook her head.

"I... I don't know."

Shizuru let go of her colleague, allowing Haruka to look around the apartment. The living room was an absolute mess. Fragments of what looked to be the coffee table were strewn across the length of the room save for a small neat pile of wooden chips that had started to form near the center of the room. A strange man had been haphazardly set up on the floor next to the broken coffee table. His eyes were closed but his chest was still moving, indicating that he was merely asleep. His wrists and ankles had been restrained with duct tape as well as his mouth. Natsuki looked over blearily from the couch. A pillow propped up her head and neck as she laid with a blanket draped over the rest of her body. She offered Haruka a crooked smile in greeting. Haruka blinked and looked to her left, registering Shizuru's presence.

She cut a pretty haggard figure, standing near the doorway. As she turned to close the door and lock up Haruka noticed her disheveled clothing and bruises starting to form on her shoulder.

"Wh-what is going on?"

Belatedly her mind raced back to her father's words but she had little time to voice her concerns as she heard a welcome voice penetrate the tense silence.

"H-Haruka-chan?"

Haruka turned, then, and the relief began to flow in. Yukino was alright. Her glasses were a bit tilted and she looked so very tired, but she was alright. Haruka rushed over to her best friend, stopping just short of running straight into her. Instead she clamped her hands on Yukino's upper arms.

"You're unhurt, Yukino-chan?"

Yukino managed a nod before Haruka drew her in, wrapping her in a tight hug and resting her cheek on the top of the younger girl's head. Haruka closed her eyes.

"Thank goodness..."

Yukino felt the warmth seep from Haruka's coat. Haruka was always a bit more warm-blooded than anyone else she knew, and the heat was welcome this time as she buried her face in Haruka's coat and reciprocated the hug.

"It's going to be okay, Yukino-chan. I'm here now."

Yukino could guess with 95% certainty that Haruka merely meant that she was physically here and Yukino needn't be scared of anymore intrusions. But there was a nagging 5% there that Yukino desperately hoped was the actual meaning behind Haruka's words, that Haruka was actually _here_ for her. She knew it was illogical, but for once she dared to hope.

Haruka could feel her heartbeat begin to race despite her attempts to control herself. She immediately remembered their kiss, the passion behind Yukino's anger, and the hours spent agonizing over it. Her lips nearly grazed Yukino's head until her eyes shot open.

_What am I doing?_

Haruka let go and nervously cleared her throat. Yukino looked up with confusion clearly written on her features. She could barely hide her crushing disappointment in time. Haruka abruptly turned to face a Shizuru who was studying the two quite intently. Even Natsuki seemed interested in the two as she peered over the edge of the couch. Whatever moment that was there was now buried.

Natsuki decided to break the silence in order to give Yukino some measure of mercy.

"So I hope you are here, Suzushiro, to give us some sort of good news."

Haruka's nostrils flared. She too was welcome for the interruption but she would never admit it aloud.

"It's more like I came here to make sure nothing suspicious was going on, but I guess that's already happened."

Shizuru made her way over to Natsuki and knelt down beside the couch. Her hand easily found Natsuki's forehead and she wove her fingers through Natsuki's hair to soothe her.

"Kanin-na, Haruka-han, but we won't get any definite answers until this man wakes up."

Again an unreadable expression crossed her face before she stood. Natsuki sighed and closed her eyes, finally relaxing enough to get some rest. Still her hand reached for Shizuru with an unspoken request. Shizuru's lips curved into a smile as she bent down to give her a kiss before straightening.

"Until then... would you like some tea?"

Haruka knew she had no other choice but to accept. She let loose a sigh and found her way over to the kitchen table, sitting down on a chair. Yukino wordlessly joined her, but she failed to meet Haruka's gaze when the older girl tried to look at her. For some reason Haruka felt a sadness settle in her bones. As she mulled over what exactly brought it on, Shizuru turned on a burner on the stove and proceeded to boil water for tea.

It had to be one of the strangest Christmas Eves Haruka could ever recall, and her mind had only question marks on what more the next day would bring.

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><p><strong>AN**

And here is another chapter. The yakuza ringleader is somewhat based off of Negishi, a yakuza member in Mai-Hime Destiny.

I would like to extend a request onto you, my readers. I would like to write small vignettes involving these characters, and I would like you to suggest some topics/situations. It would be greatly appreciated and I hope we have fun with the results.

Cheers.


	8. Horse

Hello all, Author here. I figured the days coincide, so I will post this. Merry Christmas, and thank you for reading.

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><p><strong>7 - Horse<strong>

Yukino could not, for the life of her, find any urge to sleep. She felt a distinct warmth towards her side and realized with a jolt that it was Haruka. Her brain quickly raced through memories, correctly filling in the events from the night before. Ah, now she remembered. Shizuru had given them tea and they had finished their cups in relative peace and silence. Natsuki had already fallen asleep, providing much-needed rest for her wounds. While drinking their tea Haruka deferred to a respectful silence, even towards Shizuru. Yukino had expected there to be a fight between the two, but she was proven wrong in a rare moment as Haruka finished her tea and simply asked for a blanket. Shizuru had brought back two blankets, handing them over before saying something about making a phone call.

They had sat down together, as far away from the blood as they could be. In the quiet stillness they could barely make out Shizuru's voice as she took her call in the other room, but even that gave way to silence soon enough. Yukino took in a deep breath and expelled it with a shaky sigh. Haruka shifted beside her, bringing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs.

"Fujino did all of this, didn't she?"

Haruka was trying her hardest to keep her voice down but in the accompanying silence it nearly echoed in Yukino's ears. She adjusted her glasses and stared out into the darkness as far as she could. A small light in the kitchen was kept on but it provided only a faint glow, enough to see her immediate surroundings but not much else—something she was secretly grateful for.

"Yes... yes she did."

Haruka frowned.

"Why? Why not call the authorities?"

Yukino shifted uncomfortably.

"I... I don't think..."

"It's highly irresponsible," Haruka continued, gritting her teeth. "Always acting without any regard to anything else—"

"He shot Natsuki-san."

Haruka stopped mid-rant.

"Shot?" she asked. She pantomimed a gun being shot by closing her fist and extending her index finger and thumb. "You mean with a bun?"

Yukino's lips pressed together to form a straight line.

"He shot her, and she retaliated," Yukino said. "It wasn't irresponsible."

Haruka shot her a look.

"You cannot excuse her behavior," Haruka began, but Yukino already started to shake her head.

"If..."

Yukino paused, uncertainty beginning to take a hold of her. But she steeled herself, took in a deep breath, expelled another shuddering breath. She stared into Haruka's violet eyes.

"If this had happened to me... What would you have done?"

Haruka's expression screwed up in a mixture of confusion and frustration.

"This isn't about you or me, Yukino-chan, it's about—"

"Please!" Yukino took off her glasses, rubbing her eyes. Her hand felt wet but she paid it no heed. "Please. Just... Just answer the question."

"I..."

Haruka paused to think.

_What would I have done?_

_If Yukino had been hurt..._

Her hands closed into fists. Oh, there would be no mercy. Anyone who even moved a hair out of place on Yukino's head was subject to a one-two from her fists. There was no doubt. A fierce, white-hot anger settled in the pit of her stomach. It was primal. No control was afforded to this emotion which shook Haruka to the core.

_I would have done the same... wouldn't I?_

"Haruka-chan?"

Haruka swallowed and clamped her lips shut for a moment. She looked away.

"... I would have done the same."

There was no point in lying about it. Yukino breathed a sigh of relief that failed to register in Haruka's ears. The bespectacled girl noticed the suddenly-dejected line Haruka's shoulders took under the blanket. Before she could say anything, however, Haruka looked over towards Yukino.

"But would you be able to stop me, if I did?"

The question hit Yukino like a left hook out of nowhere. She sat there in shocked silence, opening her mouth to speak, then closing it once more. It was a simple matter, to admit feelings, to yearn for a return. It was even easier to act upon those feelings when all was said and done. After all, didn't she do all of these things? But how far did those feelings run? She saw Shizuru, saw just how rapidly the composed woman had descended into a rage so vicious. It was close to becoming a free fall until Natsuki quietly took the reins. Did Natsuki know what she was doing, or did she just happen to pick the right thing to do? Yukino's head began to hurt. Luck wasn't something she dealt with often. In the bottom of her heart, she knew it was something she couldn't rely on.

Haruka offered her a grim smile.

"... Forget I asked, Yukino-chan. You don't have to answer that." She rested her chin on her knees, staring out into the darkness. "We should probably get some sleep."

Yukino felt her chance begin to slip. Just as Haruka had opened up, had _admitted_ to something, she had closed up once more, leaving her fumbling in the darkness.

"Haruka-chan—"

Haruka shook her head, effectively ending Yukino's frantic attempt to keep the conversation alive.

"It's better to rest and be up soon... Who knows what that _bubuzuke-onna_ has planned."

With that, Haruka closed her eyes. Yukino knew she couldn't argue. Perhaps before, when it was Haruka who was fumbling for answers, could Yukino keep the conversation going. Now nothing but a hazy sense of confusion entered her brain as she attempted to piece everything together.

* * *

><p>Natsuki took all of two minutes to realize that when she opened her eyes, it was Christmas. It was terribly early in the morning, but it was still Christmas. It took another minute of wondering why there was such a sore pain on her side to bring Natsuki right back up to speed. She breathed out a reedy sigh and blearily looked around the tattered remains of the living room. The man who shot at her was still sitting in a corner of the room, chin touching his chest as he slept through the early hours of the morning. Natsuki's upper lip curled as she glared at him before shaking her head. She froze in the act as she registered a figure perched on the far end of the couch.<p>

The sylph-like figure sitting before her was dressed in what looked to be a variation of a Santa Claus costume, except this particular variant took on the form of a crimson-red tube dress with a white trim that barely covered the unmentionables. Knee-length black heeled boots and little white gloves with tiny golden bells attached to the wrists completed the racy ensemble. A pair of jade-green eyes with a decidedly cat-like tilt shone through the darkness, followed soon by an amused grin.

"Merry Christmas, mutt."

Natsuki blinked before closing her eyes and laying her head back down.

"Who the hell let you in, Nao?"

"A little snake gave me a call while I was out on one of my jobs." She paused and waved a dismissive hand at Natsuki's mildly perturbed expression. "I was a temporary hostess for a Christmas Eve party, perfectly legal business Kuga."

"Shizuru asked you to stop by here? I find that hard to believe."

"Understandable. I didn't know what to think at first." Nao blew a few of her bangs out of her eyes. "But I guess my services were required."

Natsuki scoffed.

"... No one asked for a stripper." Natsuki cleared her throat and smirked. "Or no, excuse me... 'temporary hostess.'"

Nao let loose a derisive laugh.

"My standards have thankfully not gone down that low. You couldn't pay me enough to even consider stripping for some mutt such as yourself, Kuga."

She jerked her chin towards the lone man in the room.

"No, I'm told I'm here because of this idiot."

They both watched the man for a second before shifting their gazes back to each other.

"Fujino didn't tell me anything else, just that there was something she would like for me to do." Nao pursed her lips. "Mind giving me something more to go on, Kuga?"

"He and his lackeys broke in here last night. Nothing else to go on... except..."

Natsuki paused.

"He went crazy after seeing Shizuru. Pulled out a gun and tried to shoot her. I managed to get there in time to knock him off target... and he managed to get me in return."

Something flickered in Nao's eyes as Natsuki spoke but she said nothing.

"Afterwards... I guess I blacked out. I woke up in time to see Shizuru..."

Natsuki took in a slow, steady breath before expelling it through her nose.

"...She really was going to do it, wasn't she?" she asked in a soft tone.

"Do what?"

Natsuki shook her head.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it. Apparently Shizuru beat the shit out of everyone else, and now we're left with this one."

Nao made a disgruntled noise at the back of her throat.

"Fine, whatever." She moved the edge of her glove back to look at her watch. "We've still got some time before Fujino gets back."

"Back?" Natsuki echoed. "Where did she go?"

"I asked her to pick up something for me." Nao's lips curled into a sneer. "Because of an ongoing drug investigation in Fuuka I've been avoiding the hell out of pharmacies in the area. They seem to think I'm going to go buy out their supplies of pseudoephedrine. So no trips to the pharmacy for me without getting my ass busted. I asked Fujino to go for me."

Natsuki raised an eyebrow.

"A drug investigation?"

"I know, right? I never touched the stuff, and apparently my name has been put on a watch-list on every pharmacy in Fuuka."

Natsuki furrowed her brow. Nao was annoying, a definite delinquent, and skirted the law way too many times to count, but that was just it—she skirted by. She never deliberately did something that would land her in hot water, especially when it came to drugs. The long prison sentence attached to being found with a handful of tabs was a great incentive to not get involved in the trade.

"Are you sure about this?" Natsuki asked.

"I had the cops called on me for buying cold medicine," Nao replied. "They looked pretty damned disappointed when they didn't find like a kilo of cocaine or something on me."

Natsuki frowned.

_It's too much of a coincidence._

Nao turned and paused for a second before smirking.

"Hey, Kuga. Look."

Natsuki followed Nao's gaze and found the other two visitors to her apartment sitting against the wall. Haruka sat with her back against the wall, fast asleep and covered up to her chin in a blanket. Sitting next to her was Yukino who was also asleep. At some point it looked as if the two were sitting side-by-side, but Yukino's head had slid down and was now resting against Haruka's shoulder.

"Doesn't that just make your teeth ache?" Nao asked as she leered at the two.

Natsuki rested her head back down onto the pillow beneath her.

"Sure, but then I remember Suzushiro bellowing out how much she thinks my relationship with Shizuru is wrong and unnatural, and the aching doesn't happen quite so much."

"Well, it is wrong."

Natsuki nearly shot up, remembering just in time about her wound. Instead she settled for glaring at Nao.

"Excuse me?"

"Don't get that tone with me, Kuga. It's not because you're both girls. I could care less. It's because Fujino's crazy. And you're an idiot, but that's not exactly a terrible thing."

"What?"

Nao frowned at Natsuki.

"Did your hearing get shot at too? I'm saying she's fruit loops. Can short of a six-pack. Cray-cray. You know."

Nao drew a circle with a finger while pointing it towards her head. Natsuki rolled her eyes.

"She isn't crazy, Nao."

"Suit yourself." Nao jammed a thumb towards the sleeping man. "I'm sure he agrees with me, at least."

"She isn't crazy," Natsuki repeated, this time with in a low tone.

"Oh?"

Nao suddenly hopped down from her perch and jabbed a finger towards the collar of Natsuki's shirt. A jangle of bells caused Natsuki to flinch.

"You can't be _this_ stupid. Look around your apartment. A struggle happened here."

"Well of course," Natsuki replied. "I just told you—"

"The coffee table is busted, there is blood everywhere on the floor. You were shot, you bled, if the man's aim wasn't so horrendous you would have been mortally injured."

Nao's eyes positively glowed in the semi-darkness.

"Fujino was going to kill him, wasn't she? You stopped her, but she was ready to. She probably would have killed everyone else in this room if you didn't do anything. And you know that, don't you?"

Nao straightened and placed her hands on her hips, the light jingle of the bells on her wrists accompanying her.

"Lie to everyone else if you'd like. But don't ever lie to yourself."

The door to the apartment opened, revealing Shizuru. She shrugged off her coat and gloves before walking over to the couch.

"Ara, Natsuki is awake." She smiled. "How are you feeling?"

The first thing Shizuru noticed was how quiet Nao was. This was never a good sign.

"..." Natsuki blinked and sighed. "Better. I'm feeling better."

Shizuru's brow twitched. She knew that tone hid something. But Natsuki failed to elaborate and Nao was still sitting around, making it impossible for any further inquiry. Instead she nodded and looked over towards Nao.

"I trust everything was fine here, Yuuki-han?"

Nao shrugged offhandedly.

"Yeah, yeah, peachy keen and everything. Did you get the stuff?"

"Yes, I did."

Shizuru walked over to her coat and extracted a small white bag that had been printed with the local pharmacy's information on it. She handed it over to Nao who flipped open the bag and looked inside its contents. She gave Shizuru a satisfied nod.

"This should do just nicely." A sadistic gleam entered Nao's eyes. "When do you want me to start?"

Shizuru's expression turned curiously blank. In the far corner Haruka and Yukino began to stir themselves awake.

"Whenever you like, Yuuki-han."

She gave Shizuru a cruel smile before hopping over to the man. She took something out of the bag, a small white box. After opening the box she took out a single white dropper with a cap. Nao yanked the man's head back, exposing his throat and causing his jaw to go slack. Carefully working his jaw open, she yanked the cap off of the dropper with her teeth and squeezed the contents of the bottle into his wide-open mouth. She gave her handiwork a nod before shutting his mouth.

* * *

><p>As soon as he awoke, he knew he was in for a boatload of trouble. It was clear from the moment he opened his eyes and he realized he was still in that godforsaken apartment. His hands and feet were fairly numb and he looked down, noticing that he had been propped up against the wall. The broken remains of a coffee table greeted his periphery, along with a slim girl wearing what looked like a Santa Claus costume re-imagined in the most revealing way possible. He sneered at her and Nao raised an eyebrow in response.<p>

"What the hell are you supposed to be, Santa's little slut?" he growled.

Her laugh was highly irritating to his ears.

"No, nothing like that." Her laugh died out. "You can't insult your way out of this."

"I can do what I want—"

He stopped short as he felt something gurgle in his stomach. Her eyes lit up at his sudden pained expression and he glared at her.

"What did you do?" he managed to ask before another painful pull of his stomach occurred.

"Nothing too harmful, really." Nao studied his expression. "It is working faster than I thought it would, so I would suggest you start talking."

He panted and looked around, recognizing three of the individuals that were also watching him. There was a blonde he didn't recognize from the dossiers he had been given earlier and he paid her little heed, instead zeroing in on the one he knew before this ridiculous business even began.

"Well...?" Nao asked.

He licked his lips, trying to push down the urge to heave.

"... What do you want to know?"

"Names. Who gave you this address?"

He groaned as another contraction took hold of his stomach.

"... I don't know."

"Bullshit," Nao countered. "You _yakuza_ types aren't too bright. Especially lower-class thugs such as yourself. You got a list from someone, didn't you?"

He barely managed a nod. A fine sweat broke on his brow as his mouth hung open. She stepped forward and began to pat him on the head.

"There, that's a good boy..." A gloved finger traced a line from his forehead to the line of his jaw. "And the name of the people who gave you this list?"

He yanked his head free from her touch, shooting her a loathsome look that she appeared to drink in with much satisfaction.

"What're you going to do if I don't tell you?" he asked in a challenging tone. "Kill me?"

"Me? Kill you?" She chuckled. "Oh no honey... I don't do that."

Nao shot a disinterested look towards Fujino Shizuru.

"But I don't know about her. You kinda did shoot the woman she's in love with."

Her gaze shifted back towards the man.

"You see, I don't know about you, but I'd rather not have another... episode. Have we reached an understanding?"

Interestingly enough, the man had quite a clear idea of what she was referring to. His mind flashed back immediately to a warm summer's day, many years ago. He had just been staring out, then, when he had been given a job to shake up a family who had borrowed money and couldn't pay it back. It was simple enough, but something happened and the parents were hospitalized. It had been written off, a small on-the-job accident, and a warning was given to not do it again. But he remembered the day he went up to the offices he shared with his brothers-in-arms, and seeing the red-hot flames engulf everything around him. A young girl wearing a middle-school uniform stood before the destruction with emotionless red eyes the color of blood.

And now, all these years later, the same eyes stared at him, haunting him. He grit his teeth, feeling another painful contraction.

_Just what did they do to me?_

It felt terribly uncomfortable, almost unbearable. But he knew what the end result would be if he was thrown into Shizuru's hands. He swallowed, uncertain. He had to take his chances.

"... And if I talk?"

Nao clapped her hands together, setting off a brief jangle of bells as they rang from her wrists.

"Then we have reached an understanding. And I can guarantee you will be alive."

He sighed.

"It's not... one person. It's a group. Some organization."

Something curious happened to Shizuru's expression but he failed to notice.

"... Something called First District."

Nao turned and looked towards her audience.

"I believe we're done here?" she asked, waiting for confirmation.

He never got to see their responses when Nao suddenly turned, bringing something down onto his head that caused him to see black once more.

They all looked towards one another as soon as he fell unconscious. Nao motioned towards Haruka who in turn threw a confused finger towards herself. Nao rolled her eyes impatiently.

"Yes, you, you moron. Help me pick this guy up."

Haruka frowned.

"What are you planning on doing with him, Yuuki?"

"_We_ are going to dump him somewhere in the streets before he wakes up," Nao replied, waving Haruka on hurriedly. "Hurry up, before the medicine _really_ takes its toll."

Haruka complied, heaving the man up by his tied arms. Nao stood to hold him up from there.

"Alright I got this, now go get his legs..."

"Just what kind of medicine did you give him?" Yukino asked.

Haruka easily lifted his legs, tucking them under an arm. The two slowly began to shuffle towards the door.

"Just... something really strong... to help clean his system out..." Nao paused to shift the man's weight. "Doing him a favor, really..."

"You gave him a laxative?" Natsuki asked, suddenly feeling nauseous as she recalled that Nao had emptied the entire contents of that dropper.

"Hey! Fujino said nothing lethal or with lasting effects, so I was kinda up shit-creek so to speak."

Nao paused for a second and guffawed.

"Hah, shit-creek... That's what this idiot is going to be up." She shook her head and turned towards Haruka. "If you don't want him soiling this apartment along with his pants, you're going to help me take him outside."

Haruka didn't need to be told twice. They exited the apartment quickly, leaving the rest of them upstairs in relative silence. It was then that Shizuru finally spoke.

"It's happening again, isn't it?"

As much as Yukino and Natsuki wanted to say no, the desire to sound reassuring was soon outweighed by the cold grip of reality.

Somehow, someway, something was out to get them... Again.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

A "horse" is a card player who is financially backed by someone else... a role I think Yuuki is very well-suited for.

Cheers.


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